The Name's Tendo Akane, And I Don't Lose
by dirtyShoes
Summary: Akane's mother alive? Soun taking Akane's interest in the art seriously and training her to become the best? What if canon Ranma's wish on the Nanban Mirror accidentally dropped him off in this backwards reality? ABANDONED! UP FOR ADOPTION!
1. Chapter One

**READ THIS FIRST!: **

**Thank you, TNTAkane fans, for sticking with me for so long. I'm glad to finally be getting around to rewriting this. I had felt that this story was not as good as it could be and it really bothered me. At this time, I have only the first four chapters redone and am posting them all at once. I plan to repeat this pattern with the remaining chapters until I have caught up with the newest chapter, which is more than halfway completed already. I hope the revisions I've made are to your liking.**

_**T**__**he **__**N**__**ame's **__**T**__**endo **__**Akane**__**, And I Don't Lose**_

**Summary: **What if Akane's mother hadn't died? What if Soun took his youngest daughter's interest in the art seriously and trained her to become the best she could be? And what if canon Ranma's wish on the Nanban Mirror accidentally dropped him off in this backwards reality? Well, chaos would ensue, naturally.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma or anything else I may happen to reference. I do own the ideas in my head, though. Those are all mine.

**Chapter One**

"TENDO, PREPARE TO DIE!" was the cry that broke the monotonous peace of chirping birds surrounding the Tendo home in the early morning.

Akane's muscle memory, triggered by the familiar phrase, caused her to react on auto pilot and roll off of her bed just in time to dodge the shards of glass flying in her direction as her, so called, 'arch rival' exploded through her bedroom window. Her eyes were cracked open by the time she was on her feet. She rolled them in annoyance, while flipping her long ponytail behind her shoulder, as she visually confirmed the identity of said rival.

"Yoiko! I've told you a thousand times, already! I'm not interested in your brother!" Akane shouted in frustration at the younger fanged girl with ponytails tied in her older brother's signature bandanas. "Besides, it's not like he ever sticks around long enough for us to really get to know each other anyway ..."

"It doesn't matter whether you do or don't!" the younger girl replied. "You're the reason he never spends any time at home anymore. Even though he likes you, he's intimidated by your abilities. Ever since he met you, he's been purposely allowing himself to get lost because he thinks it'll help him in his training. He won't stop until he works up the nerve to ask you out, which he won't do unless he thinks he's stronger than you. Do you get what I'm saying? He thinks he needs to prove himself to you and he's totally abandoned me. For that, you must die!" she yelled, before lunging at Akane.

Akane side-stepped, leaving one foot extended. The younger girl stumbled over her foot and into her bedroom door, crashing into it with her head. Before she had a chance to pull her head out of the newly created porthole into the hallway, Akane yanked her out. She held the smaller girl in the air by the back of her collar and sighed as she flailed wildly.

"Listen, Yoiko," Akane started. "If you promise to stop pestering me, I'll gladly help you. I mean, I don't really enjoy humiliating you over and over, and over, again. So, tell me what I can do to get you off of my back. Aside from dying, of course," she added as an after thought.

"There's nothing you can do!" Yoiko shouted as she struggled. "Ryoga's off in his own world. He won't listen to reason! If he won't even listen to his own little sister, what makes you think _you_ can do anything worth while?"

"Are you stupid?" Akane yelled, shaking the girl in her grasp. "Didn't you just say how hung up he is on me? If he's really got it as bad as you say he does, then he'll do whatever I say. I'll just make him stop what he's doing and go back to the way things were before he knew me."

Yoiko stopped her struggling as she considered her rival's words. "You're sure it'll work?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't it?" Akane replied.

"Okay, then," Yoiko said, with enthusiasm. "Let's do it right now!"

"We can't do anything if he's lost somewhere, idiot," Akane said, with a half-lidded glare. "We'll just have to wait until he comes around again. When he finally does, I promise I'll set him straight."

"You better," Yoiko said. "Or else ..."

"Oooh ... I'm so scared," Akane replied.

"Children, it's time to wash up! Breakfast is almost ready and you don't want it to get cold, okay!" her mother's voice called from downstairs.

"Yes, mother!," Akane called back, in sync with her other sisters. "Look, half-pint, I got things to do and places to be, so I'm gonna send you on your way now, got it?"

"Fine, whatever," Yoiko huffed, folding her arms as she hung limply in the air.

Akane carried the girl back to her shattered window before punting her into the cool morning air. She then dusted herself off and gathered her things before making her way down to the bathroom to wash up. Fifteen short minutes later, she and her sisters joined their parents in the dining room.

"It sure would be nice if your friends ever learned to call ahead and schedule a more appropriate time to visit you, Akane. After all, it is the morning of a school day. It's really an inconvenient time for them to disturb you, don't you think?"

"I know, mom, and you're right. But they're not my friends, so they don't care if they're disturbing me. I'm sure I've explained it to you before."

"Nonsense, dear. If they didn't care about you, they wouldn't come around so often. Some of them may be a little ... jealous of your skills, but perhaps if you were to give them a few pointers ..."

"I give up ..." Akane muttered under her breath, holding her head.

Nabiki smirked, enjoying her younger sister's frustration, before she took a long sip of the coffee in her yen themed mug. "So, sis, I couldn't help but notice the latest bit of remodeling you've done to your room. I mean, most people get a fan when they want to improve the air circulation in a room, but you like to think outside of the box."

"Oh, did you do something new, Akane?" their mother asked, genuinely interested.

"She absolutely did, mother," Nabiki answered, cutting her younger sister off before she could reply. "She made a window into the hallway through her door. It's quite ingenious, actually. Now she can see who's knocking without having to _open_ the door, almost like a giant peephole, but without the privacy. I sure wish I had her keen eye and bold inspiration for interior design. Why, she even managed to capture the shape of Yoiko's head in relatively fine detail."

Akane glared at her sister.

"Oh, dear. Akane, you must learn to play more gently with your friends. Particularly the one's who are at a disadvantage. You should also take into consideration the impact that the repair bills have on our finances. I'm sure your father taught you to have the utmost control. Isn't that right, hon?"

Soun sipped his tea from behind the newspaper he held. He gulped the rest down and lowered the paper before replying. "Yes, of course, I did. Akane, consider it a training assignment to limit the amount of collateral damage to our home. I'll give you a scroll that contains a useful new technique if you succeed."

"Really?" she asked, momentarily forgetting everything else. "Wait, it's not entirely my fault though..."

"Yes, we all know what you're used to dealing with," Kasumi said. "However, I think it's good that we make a point of this, because we all know it's within your capabilities to control the amount of damage your fights cause. You _are_ the best, aren't you, little sister?"

"Of course I am," Akane boasted. "But even I can't predict when and how every single loony martial artist, in Nerima and beyond, is going to strike. Still, I understand where you guys are coming from. I'll do my best," she said. "You'd better not be making up that scroll, old man," she added.

"Well, I should be getting a move one," Kasumi said. "After all, I have much further to commute than either of you," she said, indicating her two sisters. "I'll see you all later on," she said before giving each of her parents a quick hug.

"Bye," Akane said, in unison with the rest, as Kasumi grabbed her bag and exited. Afterward, she stared into her reflection in the half empty bowl of miso that sat on the place mat before her. '_Why is it always me? It's not like I like being the harbinger of chaos or anything. It just sort of happens for no apparent reason, even if I haven't done anything ...'_

- - - xxxxxx - - -

Elsewhere, and consequently, else_when_ ...

The seasoned martial artist, Saotome Ranma, sat atop the roof of the Tendo dojo in contemplation unreadable to a casual observer. In his right hand, he held the taped together remains of the magical mirror that Happosai had stolen from the Old Ghoul so many years ago. He had seen it work before, even when it was cracked, so he hoped a few more blemishes wouldn't hinder it's performance. The power to take him anywhere he wanted to be was more enticing than ever before and he needed to at least try it one more time before resigning himself to his fate.

He had already accepted that trying to prevent his curse was most likely futile, as was proven with he and his father's previous attempt. Even if he couldn't prevent the curse, could he at least find a cure for it in another time or find a way to be rid of some of the chaos in his life? Those thoughts were among several other issues that he found had become increasingly difficult to ignore as he began to seriously consider his future in Nerima. However, it was also quite apparent that he was never going to have time to get his mind right if he was always being confronted by everyone there. He was so desperately tired of being the center of attention that the thought of traveling to a time before he was even born seemed quite appealing, if only to have complete confidence in his breathing space.

He didn't really see it as running away from his problems, since he planned on coming back. He just wanted a vacation, so to speak, to help him gain perspective on his life thus far. He hoped that that would also aid him in coming to a decision regarding his fiancee situation, since that was a major source of chaos in it's own right.

Some of the most troubling thoughts that had been floating around in his head, since Saffron and the failed wedding, were centered around Akane's inability to understand him even after all they had been through. If the status quo didn't change, he didn't think it was going to work out between them. Unless she had an epiphany concerning her default conclusion that 'Ranma is to blame', it was a dead end relationship. He didn't want to see it end that way, for fear of having to accept that he might have wasted his first two years in Nerima on a lost cause.

In his other hand he held a peeled onion, needed for the effect of inducing tears. It was now or never, since he rarely had a minute to himself before all hell broke loose around him.

"Here goes ..."

- - - xxxxxx - - -

"You is dead girl!" Shampoo shouted as she flung one of her bonbori at Akane's head.

Akane paused from her spot atop the fence that ran along the canal and caught the weapon, spun effortlessly while maintaining perfect balance, then hurled the blunt object back at it's owner. Her superb aim ensured a direct strike of the weapon's handle through the front spokes of Shampoo's bicycle.

The resulting stop of motion caused the ramen delivery girl's preferred method of transportation to fling her off of it's seat, over the fence, and into the water below. When the angry cat emerged from it's impromptu bath, it's target was nowhere to be found. Damn, was that girl fast.

As Akane neared the end of her short sprint towards school, she easily hurdled the last gap in the path of her fence route, idly wondering how those big diesel trucks made turns from the small side streets onto the large main street she had just cleared. She shrugged it off as she shifted her attention back toward the school grounds. More specifically, she anticipated the confrontation that some stubborn idiot would just not give up on ...

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Ranma awoke as he became aware of sunlight warming his face. His eyes darted over to an unfamiliar window, with slightly cracked shades, before the rest of his senses kicked in and registered everything else around him. The room was rather plain and reminded him vaguely of the Tendo's guest room in it's size.

He was tucked under a layer of white covers as he lay on the firm mattress of a narrow hospital bed. To his right was a machine, with a monitor attached, that seemed to be displaying his vitals. The melodic beeping, that represented his heart beat, rapidly increased to higher levels as his mind began to construct a scenario bad enough to require the use of such things. He quickly flung the covers off and was pleased to notice that he was clothed in sweat pants and a wife-beater tank top. He removed the sensors that were stuck to his chest and pulled out an IV needle. The machine flatlined in response to the loss of signal.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and dropped his feet to the floor, noting a slight soreness, before walking over to the window to peer through the blinds. Outside, he saw the familiar streets of residential Nerima and concluded that he wasn't in a hospital, but most likely a house. He wondered if his trip with the mirror had backfired and he had been injured somehow, but quickly ruled that idea out as he had no memory of being hurt or any physical signs of harm, aside from being a little stiff. He also didn't recognize the room or the yard he was looking down upon from the window. He was sure he'd never seen this house before.

His ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps and he turned around in time to see a young girl walk through the door with a book in her hand. Ranma was taken aback at her striking resemblance to his cursed form and froze with his mouth hanging open momentarily. '_Impossible ...'_

The girl shared a similar look of disbelief on her face before she dropped her book and yelled at the top of her lungs. "HE'S AWAKE!"

Ranma flinched, before quickly regaining his wits, and decided that he didn't want to be cornered in the small room with his second worst nightmare looking right at him. He spun around, smashing the window with the back of his hand and destroying the blinds, before diving out of the window. He barely registered the bleeding knuckles.

"Wait!" the curse look-a-like called as she stuck her head out of the window and looked down at him from the second floor of the residence.

Ranma backflipped onto the top of the brick wall surrounding the yard and would have propelled himself to the next roof if not for his legs suddenly burning with exhaustion. His father leap out of the broken window and landed beside him. The last thing he expected was to be gathered in a hug by his old man.

"It's a miracle!" Genma wailed, as he suffocated the boy with the hug.

"Get offa me, pop! I can't breath!" Ranma said, before kneeing the old man in his gut with everything he could muster.

Genma took the powerful hit and stumbled a few feet backward before looking upon his son in bewilderment. "You're strong ..." he muttered, as if it weren't normal.

"That's what they tell me," Ranma replied with a smirk, trying to ignore his sudden fatigue. "You gonna explain what's gotten into you, or what? And what the hell is up with this house and that _thing_ in there?" he said, pointing a finger at his cursed form's doppleganger.

"Ranko?" Genma replied. "She's your sister, not a thing."

"Say what?" Ranma blanched. He looked down at himself. Aside from the fatigue and being a little thinner than normal, he didn't notice anything out of place. "Oh, shit ... did I come to the future? No ..." He looked back up to his father. "We're not any older are we ...? Then, how ... Hey, where's the mirror? Tell me you have it!"

"Son, calm down. You've just woken up from a long coma. You're just a bit hysterical ..."

"Coma? Are you nuts? This is all wrong!" Ranma shouted. He was about to say something else before he was suddenly overcome by an excruciating headache.

He grabbed the sides of his head in pain and clenched his eyes shut as a stream of blood trickled from his nose. He saw a series of images flash through his mind's eye as the pain gradually lessened. He quickly realized the jumbled images were of memories he had never experienced himself.

As the memories fell into place, he was able to determine that he hadn't merely traveled through time. He was in a completely different reality. He had just absorbed the memories of an alternate version of himself. This other version had indeed been in a coma. This guy had been leading a life that was eerily similiar to his own before he fell into a coma at the age of nine and a half. Ranma growled as he learned the cause to be a worse case scenario of the cat-fist training. The trauma had shattered his counterpart's young mind seven years ago. He had been in a coma ever since, vaguely aware of those around him but unable to interact with them. His existence had been a living hell.

Ranma reopened his eyes as he used a hand to wipe away the blood that had dribbled from his nose. His angry eyes settled on his pop, who was looking upon him with genuine concern. His glare softened considerably before he rolled his eyes at the old man and spoke. "Why am I not surprised? Geez, pop, you sure are an idiot. I hope you actually learned a lesson from this one."

"So, you do remember?" Genma asked. Upon Ranma's nod, he continued. "I'm so terribly sorry, boy. You mustn't tell your mother or sister, though," he said with a hushed voice. "I couldn't bring myself to tell them the truth, but I've spent the last seven years trying to atone for my sins. Please, you must understand, I never intended for this to happen. It was all in pursuit of your training."

"Yeah, it ain't the first time I've heard that line," Ranma said, before sighing. "But, I know you're not a bad guy ... just stupid and misguided," he added. "Anyway, it's not me you need to apologize to. I ain't exactly from around here, y'see."

"I don't understand ..."

"You ever heard of the nanban mirror?" Ranma asked.

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Around lunch time, Akane sat under a tree with her two newest made friends since returning from her trip to China with her father.

"So, what did she do next?" Sayuri asked, with a captive interest.

"Well," Akane continued, "She used some dumb attack called the five hundred BPM frozen raver strike."

"Really, what was it like?" Yuka asked, equally enthralled.

"Picture hundreds of glow sticks, filled with liquid nitrogen, being swung at you on wires from every conceivable direction. It was pretty annoying," she described. "The music from the boombox she carried around was totally outdated and predictable, too. Maybe if she had used the soundtrack to a newer version of DDR, one I hadn't beaten already, then she could have lasted longer."

"Wow ... you're great," Yuka and Sayuri swooned, in unison.

Akane missed the questionable glances the two girls were giving her in favor of laughing arrogantly. "Of course I am. I'm the best there is," she continued, "Of this generation or the last one. I'll never lose to anyone," she said confidently. Akane sweat dropped as she finally noticed her two 'friends' giving her googly eyes while drooling. "Uh ... guys?"

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

The Saotome family, consisting of Nodoka, Genma, and Ranko, sat with Ranma at the table in the nicely decorated dining room of their modest home. He sat with his arms folded over his chest as he waited for the trio to absorb his hefty explanation. There was only one thing that really bothered him about everything, though. He had felt really winded after jumping out of that window earlier and, upon closer inspection, found his body to be thinner and weaker than he initially thought. Either he was confined to the body of his counterpart, or the dimensional jump had just sucked the life out of him. He was smart enough to guess that it was probably the latter of the two and quite disappointed that he had to deal with such a disadvantage. However, he was pleased to learn that he still maintained complete control over his ki. Also, his new memories revealed that this version of him was without a curse.

"I will admit," Genma started, "it is strange for you to be able to manuever so skillfully after being out of it for that many years. But, where is this mirror you mentioned? How can we know that you didn't just dream all of this up if you don't have any proof?"

"I wish I knew," Ranma replied. "Everything about this situation seems wrong. The mirror doesn't usually work like this ... but, I swear to you, it's the truth."

"Does it really matter?" Nodoka asked. "We have our son back, after all of these years. I'm just happy to be sitting here having a conversation with him."

"Mom is right," Ranko added. "He's well again. We should just celebrate that fact and forget about the details," she said, before sliding out of her chair and giving Ranma a hug. "I finally have a brother I can talk to."

Ranma stiffened considerably inside this girl's embrace, elliciting a confused reaction from her. He pushed her gently away from him and avoided making eye contact with her.

"Ranma, what's wrong?" Nodoka asked.

Ranko's eyes shimmered with tears as she stepped back, bumping into her chair. "Do you hate me?" she asked.

"It's not like that," Ranma replied, still refusing to look directly at Ranko. "It's just weird ..."

"All I've wanted, for the longest time, is to be good friends with my brother," Ranko said.

"Oh, Ranko ..." Nodoka said.

"Son, I'm not really sure what to believe, but I do know that Ranko doesn't deserve to have her feelings hurt. Get to know her and, I promise, you'll see what a great person she is."

Ranma sighed. "No offense, but I don't plan on sticking around that long. I don't have time to sit and chit chat with someone who ain't even supposed to exist when I could be finding out what went wrong and how to get back."

Ranko promptly ran off before the tears could fall.

"Ranma, how could you?" Nodoka asked, before running after her daughter.

Genma glared hard at his son. "That was stupid of you, boy."

"It doesn't matter," he replied. "It's the truth. Where I come from, she's not a real person. She's just a curse, a thorn in my side, and I'm reminded of that constantly, even if it's not technically the same thing. It's better if I avoid her altogether ... at least until I can get my head straight," he said, getting up from his chair. "I can't easily fake being nice to something so unnatural."

Ranma's weak body was still tender from the over exertion and his legs collapsed from under him. He grabbed onto the table cloth, just before hitting the floor, and pulled it with him. A glass of water, that had been near the table's edge, followed the cloth and spilled onto him. The spill was followed up by a soprano voice cursing the bad luck.

Genma leaned in his chair and peered under the table to see a look-a-like of his daughter laying on the floor with an angry look on her face. Then he, too, fell to the floor. "What the hell? Ranma, is that you?" he asked, picking himself up.

Ranma sat up, muttering every bad word she knew under her breath while ignoring her old man. "It's not fair, damn it! How is this even possible? The curse can't be that powerful, can it?"

"Curse? What curse?" Genma asked, walking over to the girl and offering a hand to help her to her feet.

Ranma reluctantly accepted the hand and returned to her unsteady feet. "Do you believe me now?" she asked him. "This is why I can't stand to look at Ranko. I swear, sometimes I get the feeling that, somewhere, there's people laughing at my misfortune."


	2. Chapter Two

_**T**__**he **__**N**__**ame's **__**T**__**endo **__**Akane**__**, And I Don't Lose**_

**Summary: **What if Akane's mother hadn't died? What if Soun took his youngest daughter's interest in the art seriously and trained her to become the best she could be? And what if canon Ranma's wish on the Nanban Mirror accidentally dropped him off in this backwards reality? Well, chaos would ensue, naturally.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma or anything else I may happen to reference. I do own the ideas in my head, though. Those are all mine.

**Chapter Two**

_Seven years ago, in the Japanese wilderness ..._

A man in his early thirties worked tirelessly, digging the twenty-seven foot deep pit in the ground, for the benefit of some unnamed 'boy' he was grumbling about out loud. He had spent more than half of a day on the pit alone, the whole time wondering why the scroll requested it be so deep. Wasn't twenty-one good enough, or even maybe just six? Laziness was the path to weakness, he told himself, even as he ignored the part of the scroll that specifically stated the pit must have a diameter of at least fifteen feet for there to be even a fifty percent chance of success.

The operation had clearly been doomed from the start.

The gi clad man, who at least _appeared_ to be in peak physical shape, tossed the shovel aside and toppled to the ground at the bottom of the pit in an exhausted heap after reaching the desired depth. Was it too much to ask for the boy to finish his task early in order to return and help his dear old father. _'Speak of the devil,'_ he thought as he sensed the boy's approach.

A young Ranma, clothed in a gi that matched his father's, sauntered over to the edge of the pit and set aside the net full of assorted cats he had been hefting before peering at his father down below. That was certainly out of the ordinary for his father. But, then again, just about everything his old man did was out of the ordinary. "Hey, pop, wutcha doin' down there, huh?"

"Don't mock your father, boy! Did you complete your mission?"

"Yeah, but why did I hafta bring 'em all the way back here for? I know ya wanted me ta work on my stealth, but I coulda set 'em free as soon as I was done. I really didn't feel right draggin' 'em away from their families like that and I'm sure they didn't like it either. It's too far for them ta find their way home from here by themselves, so can I take 'em back now?"

"No. Now stand aside, I'm coming up."

Ranma did as he was told and immediately regretted it. "Hey, stop it!" he said, as he watched his father carelessly empty the furry contents of the net into the pit and cover it with a round lid made of woven chicken wire. "They never did nuthin' ta ya!"

"Now listen here, son," Genma said, kneeling slightly to look his son in the eyes while taking on a father-knows-best tone. "When in the pursuit of greater ability ... it often becomes necessary to step around what some would call ... the boundaries of rational thinking. Do you understand?"

Ranma shook his head, folding his arms over his chest. "What does this hafta do with being mean ta animals?" he asked.

"Look," Genma sighed. "All you need to know is that the life of a true martial artist is frought with peril. Overcoming obstacles is what defines all living creatures, martial artists and cats alike, and helps us to grow stronger in the long run. You do want to become a true martial artist, don't you, my son?"

Ranma nodded.

"Well, then, consider this an unfortunate, but necessary, task that we must carry out in order to live true to our titles as martial artists. It's a matter of honor."

Ranma's eyebrows twitched in agitation before he dropped his arms and leveled an accusing finger at his old man. "Honor? That's what ya said when ya promised Ukyo's dad that he could come n' train with us n' exchange for free food! He was my friend and ya made us ditch him! I dunno what honor really means but, whenever ya start talking about it, it usually means yer about ta do somethin' really bad! I'm tired of yer crap already!" he said, before turning to walk away.

_'I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice,'_ Genma thought before knocking his son out with a quick strike to the back of his head. He dragged his unconscious son next to his travel pack before he began rummaging through it. Moments later, he removed several cans of sardines, fish sausage, and a bottle of fish oil.

- - - xxxxxx - - -

_Present day_

Genma made the shot of sake disappear before placing the tiny glass next to eight of it's brothers on the polished wooden bar and then took a swig from the open bottle of beer in his other hand.

"Are you ready to talk about it now?" the slightly younger bartender asked while he dried a glass with a white rag. "It's barely been two weeks since you stopped coming here and now you're back with a vengeance. I heard about your son. Shouldn't you be spending time getting reacquainted with him?"

The older man rolled his eyes, grumbling, before he rested an elbow on the bar and his chin in the palm of his hand. "What do you care?" he asked.

"I don't like watching my customers drink themselves to death. It's bad for business," the pale man explained, with a shrug. "So ...?"

"Do you have kids?" Genma asked.

"Yeah," the bartender replied.

"Teenagers?" Genma specified.

"No, but I remember what it was like to be one," the man replied, his thin face taking on a distant expression, as if he were reliving several past moments at once.

"Well, I have two of them," Genma started. "My daughter was fortunate enough to not be left under my solitary supervision for the majority of her childhood."

"Your son was," the bartender nodded, already familiar with this part of Genma's basic background. He made it a point to get to know his regulars to a certain extent. "You still blame yourself for him ending up ... you know ...?"

"Yeah," Genma confirmed. "Because I really did screw up ... terribly. Now that the initial excitement has worn off, and reality has set in, I'm reminded of it everytime I'm around him. I've spent the last seven years of my life trying not to make the same mistakes with my daughter and it's worked out wonderfully so far. As for the boy, I can't help but notice how crude and insensitive his behavior is toward his sister. He's not openly mean, just ... really distant. He finally acknowledges her, but still acts so cold around her. Everytime she cries because of him, it feels like I'm the one at fault. I was a terrible example for the boy so, by extension, I _am_ responsible for my daughter's tears. It's the worst feeling in the world."

"I can't imagine being able to ignore a crying girl for so long," the bartender replied.

"She's hides in her room most of the time, so he doesn't actually see her sobbing, but I'm sure he can guess why she locks herself up in there as soon as she gets home from school. He's got it in his head that she's not worth the effort of getting to know. It's tearing my family apart. My wife won't even speak to me anymore. But I feel so guilty for what I did to my boy, that I can't bring myself to give him any serious punishment. I don't want to end up hurting him again."

"Ah ..." the bartender said in understanding. "Well, I can't tell you what to do. I'm only qualified to serve drinks and provide decent conversation. However, I am qualified to make decisions when I think someone's had enough to drink. I'm cutting you off for the rest of the night. Now, you don't have to go home, but you do have to get the hell out of my bar. I'm sure you'll find it much easier to think of a solution once you've sobered up a bit," he said, with a pleasant smile.

Genma groaned once more before reaching for his wallet.

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

"HAAHH!" Ranma shouted, as he landed one final punch on the wooden training post in the backyard. One of the arms broke off and flew a short distance, but it was too dark to see exactly where it had landed. His chest heaved with the effort as the faint moonlight reflected off of his sweat covered skin.

Nearly two full weeks of intense physical training had given him about a quarter of his stamina back and almost a third of his reflexes, but he still wasn't satisfied. He wouldn't be able to use all of special techniques without training his body up to par. He couldn't stand the thought of being too weak to defend himself against even the weakest of his opponents, not when he knew he was capable of so much more. There was only one technique that he was somewhat confident could be used with this weakened body, but his reflexes were still to slow to be absolutely sure.

He walked slowly over to the veranda and sat down before draping his sweat towel around the back of his neck. He twisted the cap off of the plastic bottle in his other hand before drinking the last of it's contents and laying it on the floor beside him. He looked over his shoulder the moment he sensed the pair of eyes watching him from behind slightly open shoji.

Deep aquamarine colored eyes, that were slightly bloodshot, looked back at him. They bored into him with passive intensity, unblinking for what seemed like an eternity. He hadn't realized her eyes were different from his. Then again, this was the longest he had ever looked upon her for any continuous amount of time. Her big eyes reflected lonliness and disappointment.

"What do you want ... Ranko?" he asked in a flat tone. _'Please just go away,'_ he thought. _'I don't wanna feel sorry for her ...'_

Silence was his reply, followed by the gradual welling of tears in those bloodshot eyes. Then, abruptly, they stopped. The eyes blinked and the tears disappeared before they retreated back into the darkness. Ranma was alone again.

He let out an audible sigh of relief. _'Geez, what's with that girl? You think she would've taken a hint and given up by now. It's for the best, anyway.'_

_'You don't really believe that do you?'_

_'Of course I do. It could be bad for my mental health if I got to know her. She's exactly what I don't wanna become. The less contact I have with her, the better.'_

_'You're a jerk, you know that?'_

_'Yeah ... I know ...'_

_'What if she were Akane?'_

_'It's not.'_

_'This isn't home. She's not the curse you think she is. She's a real person with feelings. You're making a big mistake if you let this get any worse than it already has.'_

_'What do you know? You're just a voice in my head. I can't believe I'm talking to myself like this ...'_

_'I'm your conscience, idiot. You know, the one who's supposed to make sure you do the right thing. You wouldn't be who you are today if it weren't for me, by the way.'_

_'Whatever ... just leave me alone ...'_

Ranma sat, with his back against a wooden post, and closed his eyes. He marveled at the utter silence this time of night had to offer. Well, it was almost completely silent. He stood up and turned around, looking up to the half opened window on the second floor. The night's breeze was blowing the curtains outward, carrying the sound of muffled sobs with it. His throat immediately tightened up. _'Damn it!'_ he cursed.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was perched on the sill outside of the window and sliding the glass fully aside. His body moved of it's own volition and crawled silently inside. His presence went unnoticed as the girl, who was curled up in a ball at the edge of her bed, had her back turned and was making too much of her own noises to hear anything else.

Ranma's mouth hung open slightly as he watched the pajama clad red head rock herself back and forth while shaking gently. Her negative emotions assaulted his finely tuned senses. He fought it admirably for several seconds, but eventually gave in.

The red head jerked in surprise when a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind and she was enveloped in a long hug. She received a small peck on the cheek before the arms were removed and a hand gently tousled her hair.

"Please forgive me ... little sister," Ranma said.

- - - xxxxxx - - -

_Six months ago, village of Joketsuzoku, China ..._

Soun and Akane stood uncomfortably at the gate of the infamous village of amazon warriors, waiting for an audience with an elder while the guards held spears near their throats.

"And we're taking a detour off of our planned route for what reason?" Akane asked again.

"It's for my long time friend and training partner who is unfortunately preoccupied at the moment and cannot make the journey himself. He has a son who has been incapacitated for some time due to a training accident. He expressed to me that he would be most grateful if I could procure a remedy for the boy. It is said that the amazons of this area are the most knowledgeable when it comes to the more rare or forgotten martial arts techniques of old."

"Rare techniques, eh? That doesn't sound too bad to me. I was thinking it's about time I added some more flavor to my repertoire," she said, cracking her knuckles.

An amazonian guard shot a warning glare at Akane.

"Behave yourself, daughter," Soun warned. "All of the people I've asked about the amazons have said the same thing. Do not upset them. That means you, young lady."

"Oh, come on, dad, you know me."

"That's exactly why I'm worried ..." he said, under his breath.

"Besides, how dangerous could they be?" she added, as an afterthough

- - - xxxxxx - - -

_Present day_

"Stupid kiss of death ... stupid annoying Chinese girl ... stupid, stupid, stupid! I used to like ramen ... until _she_ came along! Now I can't even enjoy _that_!" Akane seethed, covered in noodles and dripping wet with broth as she stood in front of the gaping hole in the dojo's wall, through which she had just punched Shampoo into the sky. "I swear, I can't get a moment of peace thanks to that ... bitch!"

She stood around and fumed for a few more minutes before going into the house to bathe.

Thirty minutes later, she sat on the sofa in the tv room watching anime while Nabiki was off to one side reading manga, and Kasumi was studying with an open text book in her lap nearby. Her father sat opposite Nabiki while reading his paper and soft kitchen noises could be heard as her mother prepared dinner. The ringing phone snapped her out of her reverie and, before she could get up to answer, Nabiki had the receiver to her ear.

"Uh huh, yeah, he's here. Do you want to talk to him?" Nabiki asked. "Okay, one second. Daddy! Phone for you! It's someone named Saotome!" she shouted.

Almost instantly, Soun was at his middle daughter's side and took the phone out of her possession. "Saotome, it's been a while. How have you been, my friend? He's what? Really? That's wonderful news! How long ago? Three weeks? Why did you wait till just now to tell me? We should be planning a party! Oh ... I see. Well, everything's alright now, isn't it? Great! I'm sure they'll all get along famously! Okay, see you then."

"What's gotten you all riled up, dad?" Akane asked as her father returned to the tv room to finish his paper. "Did the neighborhood watch reschedule a meeting or something?" she asked, only half seriously.

"That was my good friend Genma. His son, Ranma, has made a miraculous recovery from his coma. I'm going to visit them tomorrow. You're welcome to come along if you'd like. After all, he is the boy we made the trip to the Joketsuzoku for."

"What? Oh, that's right. He's the reason why I've got a persistent ramen delivery girl trying to kill me every other day. Well, good, now that he's awake I can properly thank him," she said, cracking her knuckles, as had become her unofficial trademark.

"Don't be too hasty, Akane. You don't even know the boy. Who knows, you two may hit it off and become good friends."

Nabiki snorted, briefly pausing from reading the manga, and turned an amused glance in her sister's direction.

Akane was incredulous. "Friends? With him? Humph, fat chance. Don't worry, though. I don't plan to hurt him too much ... just enough to get my point across."

"You'll do no such thing," her mother said, briefly peering out of the kitchen and butting into their conversation. "I expect you to make a good first impression on the Saotomes."

"But mom? That's not fair!" she said.

"Promise me, Akane," her mother said.

"Ugh, fine then," she huffed, sinking further into her seat as she crossed her arms.


	3. Chapter Three

_**T**__**he **__**N**__**ame's **__**T**__**endo **__**Akane**__**, And I Don't Lose**_

**Summary: **What if Akane's mother hadn't died? What if Soun took his youngest daughter's interest in the art seriously and trained her to become the best she could be? And what if canon Ranma's wish on the Nanban Mirror accidentally dropped him off in this backwards reality? Well, chaos would ensue, naturally.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma or anything else I may happen to reference. I do own the ideas in my head, though. Those are all mine.

**Chapter Three**

_Six months ago, Bayankala mountain range, China_

Neko-Shampoo emerged from the cursed spring after having just completed the flight from her village to Jusenkyo, via Air Akane, with all expenses paid by the other girl's cold hard fist. She growled to the best a cat's vocal ability, which came out as more of a deep purr, before being spared by the Chinese guide who met her with a kettle of warm water. She had already been educated on the effects of Jusenkyo by many of her teachers back in the village and decided not to stick around for the guide's explanation.

After giving him a quick nod of thanks, she bounded back into the woods and toward her home, hoping to intercept them as they would surely be on the run by now. No way was she going to let them get away with disrespecting an amazon warrior. By the time she noticed that she had left her clothes behind, she had already covered a great distance.

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

"Come on, dad, keep up!" Akane called to her father, looking over her shoulder to make sure he hadn't dropped his pace any further. "Don't make me start calling you an old geezer!"

Soun was suddenly beside his daughter, matching her speed and shooting her a glare. "I'll have you know there is not a single grey hair on my head, which I might add is showing no signs of baldness. Why, your mother tells me, everday, that I'm as handsome and energetic as the day we got married!"

"Yeah, right! Prove it," Akane challenged.

Her father needed no more encouragement and immediately dusted her in a burst of speed, which she quickly matched. Now this was more like it. Her old man had started growing lax ever since they returned from their eight year training trip and had downgraded most of their trips to within Japan only. And even though she had been living at home on a regular basis for the last two years, she had remained on home school to allow her time to keep up with her intense training sessions. But, if what her father had recently said was true, everything would soon be getting a lot more dull than it already had been.

She didn't see the need to attend school in person since she had already proven that she could keep her grades up while on the road. They had said that it was for her to become acclimated to normal social interaction between people in public and that it was necessary if she wanted to be a well-rounded individual. They may have had a good point there, but where was the fun in that?

Without warning, her father pushed her aside and sent her crashing into some bushes just before he was struck in the ribs by flying a bonbori and had the wind knocked out of him. She quickly recovered to her feet and wasn't surprised to see the Chinese girl she had defeated earlier stalking towards her. However, she was slightly baffled by her opponent's new choice of wardrobe or, to be specific, lack there of. Apparently, her previous set of revealing garments hadn't been enough for the girl because they were now being replaced by a haphazardly constructed foliage bikini.

"Don't know when to quit, eh?" Akane smirked, purposely ignoring the other things that made her uncomfortable. "Unless you've somehow miraculously improved in the last...thirty minutes, then I don't think you'll have much luck winning against me. Tell you what though, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and let you have the first hit. Give me your best shot."

Although Shampoo only understood about half of what Akane was saying, she was able to dechiper the other girl's intentions as she left herself open for the first attack. She wouldn't let this opportunity pass her by.

Akane sighed in boredom as the amazon came in close and stopped less then a foot away from her. If the Chinese girl actually thought that being closer would make a difference in the ability of her attack to hurt her, then the girl was really more dense than she looked.

_'That's odd_,' Akane noted. _ 'I've never seen a stance like that before. Could it really be a new attack?'_

Akane's question was quickly answered when Shampoo placed a gentle hand on one side of her face and placed a soft kiss on the other. Akane was paralyzed with shock and disgust. She may have considered herself something of a tomboy, albeit an irresistably attractive one, but that didn't mean she swung in the wrong direction.

"W-Why you ... lesbian ... bimbo," Akane stammered, fighting to regain her composure.

"Is Amazon Kiss of Death. Now you no safe anywhere you go. No rest until dead," Shampoo said, reciting her practiced line with a repressed grin.

Akane gulped slightly at the thought of being hunted to the ends of the earth before remembering that the Chinese girl was no match for her. After popping her neck and cracking her knuckles, she proceeded to beat the snot out of Shampoo for grossing her out with the unexpected kiss.

- - - xxxxxx - - -

_Present day_

"Mother, it came! It's finally here!" Kasumi shouted in excitement as she rushed into the house carrying a rather bulky package amongst the smaller parcels of mail they were used to receiving.

"What?" Mrs. Tendo asked in disbelief as she paused in her preparation of breakfast, turning away from the stove top just in time to see Kasumi enter the kitchen and drop the normal mail in a pile on the kitchen table.

"The official copy of your printed cookbook that the publishers promised to send you before releasing it to the general public, this is it. Look at the address it was sent from. It's definitely them," she said cheerfully, handing her mother the large bubblewrap padded envelope to have the honor of opening it herself.

Mrs. Tendo accepted it graciously and wasted no time in tearing through the external packaging to get a look at her blood ,sweat, and tears in it's official glory. She read the the text on the front cover out loud for full effect. "Anything Goes Family Menu, by Rumiko Tendo. Oh, how I've waited for this day..." she said with a heartfelt sigh, as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears of happiness. "It's almost like being a mother for the first time all over again. Only, this time, my newest child is this book."

"I knew you could do it, mother," Kasumi said, finding her mother's contagious smile spreading onto her own face. "I'm so glad you decided to stick with it."

Swelling with pride at having achieved yet another one of her life's goals, she looked back down to the cover shielding years of her hard work and felt rather satisfied with herself for the moment. "Yes, it was worth it wasn't it? I can't wait to show everyone."

"Do you want me to go wake them up?" Kasumi asked.

"Sure, why not? It is a special occasion after all. Just take it easy on Akane, though. I think she's been a little more stressed out lately than she's letting on."

"Alright then," Kasumi said before retreating from the kitchen and heading upstairs to wake the rest of her family.

A grumbling half asleep Akane was the last one to join her family around the table for breakfast and it had only taken Kasumi twenty minutes of repeated knocking to get a response out of her. Her mom had passed around the book for everyone to admire closely as words of congradulations were bestowed upon her. Things did indeed seem to be looking up for the family as a whole, and since Rumiko's book was finally finished, they could plan to spend more quality time together. All in all, it seemed as if life in general was going to get better from here on out, starting with a good day today.

"So," Rumiko started, "What time do you plan on meeting Genma today?"

"Sometime this afternoon," Soun replied.

"Did he mention how Nodoka was doing? I understand she took it especially hard when Genma first brought their son home after what happened," Rumiko asked, somewhat concerned about her friend who had gradually stopped confiding in her about such issues.

"He didn't say much, except that his son appeared to be in good health and has already begun resuming his training in the art."

"So, exactly how long was his supposed coma?" Nabiki asked.

"About seven years," Akane supplied, before devouring the remaining rice in her bowl.

"Really? How sad. He must feel out of place after missing that much time," Kasumi commented. "I can only imagine how tough it will be for him to adjust."

"Yes, well, if Genma's own resilience is any indication, then his son should have come out of this just fine. I'm sure he'll be surpassing his peers in no time. His recovery will lead to many wonderful things, I'm sure ..." Soun said, with more than a glint of hope for something the rest of his family was unaware of.

"Tres bien?" Nabiki offered jokingly, recounting the recent Picolet Chardin II incident that they had narrowly escaped from thanks to Akane's martial prowess.

Akane visibly flinched at the reminder and responded by shooting Nabiki a glare before redirecting it at her father. "This had better not turn into another one of your halfcocked schemes coming back to bite us in the ass."

"Akane, language," Rumiko chided.

"Sorry," she said, apologetically, before returning the heated glare to her father. "I may have forgiven you for last time, but don't expect me to be so understanding if it happens again."

Soun chuckled lightly, sweating under his collar, while waving their speculations off as nonsense. "Don't you worry, my children, I have only your best interests in mind."

Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane, in turn, rolled their eyes at him while their mother let loose a reserved sigh.

"Anyhow," Rumiko started, "When you do see him, why not invite his family over for dinner? I'm going to be making my spicy curry tonight."

"Why, that sounds like a fantastic idea. I'll be sure to extend the offer," Soun said.

Nabiki, taking note of her youngest sister's expression changing into a fierce scowl and cracking her knuckles, sighed in resignation. Trouble was brewing for sure, and she was most likely the one who would be put in charge of damage control. Was it too much to ask for their one day off of school to be uneventful? Of course it was. They lived in Nerima after all.

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

After having been accepted by her older brother, Ranko had become a much more lively person. She had immediately taken to following him around for a whole week, using that time to bombard him with questions of all sorts. She had also been quite awed by the power and skill he displayed, which he clearly should not have been capable of after seven years of being idle. It made his story all the more believable. Although, his curse had been proof enough. She still hadn't managed to completely wrap her mind around it, though.

That aside, she had been so bored growing up in a home with no one close to her age to talk to. She eventually made friends at school, but she wasn't allowed to go anywhere with them because her parents had been far too overprotective of her. Now, she finally had someone to hang out with and keep her company all of the time, except for school, of course.

When Ranma had insisted that he was going to eventually return home, she had refused to hear it. She expressed her opinion on the subject every chance she got, making it a point to try and convince him how much he would regret it if he abandoned her. As much as Ranma found it entertaining to be stalked by a little sister who openly adored him, he made no attempt to disguise his efforts at finding a solution to his problem. However, he had nothing against indulging her requests for quality time being spent with her, even if he knew she was trying her hardest to make him get attached to this alternate reality.

At present, the two siblings sat at the dining table while eating sandwiches, which Ranko had prepared for their lunch.

"So..." Ranma said in between bites, "What do you like to do for fun around here?" The majority of his three weeks had been spent on intense training. Even though he found that exciting, he figured that it couldn't hurt to break up the monotony a bit.

Ranko waited until she had completely finished chewing and swallowing before giving her reply. "Nothing much, really," she admitted. "When I have free time, I usually read a book or go watch dad workout in the backyard."

_'Man_ ...' Ranma sighed. _ 'I guess without me around, things really can't help but be as dull as a wooden board. I'll bet Nerima is actually a safe place to live now ... what a thought.'_

The doorbell rang, seconds later, prompting Ranko to leave the last half of her sandwhich alone in favor of answering the door.

Ranma sat in silence, chewing, as he tried to hear the conversation taking place at the genkan. He quickly gave up after realizing his own chewing made too much noise for him to focus. He didn't have to wait long to find out who the visitors were, at least, since Ranko reappeared with two familiar people behind her and led them into the dining room. His jaw promptly dropped, allowing the half chewed piece of sandwich to fall out.

"Please, don't mind my brother," Ranko said, with a sheepish smile. "He'll keep you company while I go fetch our father." She bowed quickly before leaving them.

"Hello there, Ranma," Soun said, cheerfully. "It's wonderful to see you up and about again. You probably don't remember me, but I met you when you were only a toddler," he said, with a smile. "This is my daughter, Akane. Not too long before you woke up, your father asked us to make a trip to China to find a cure for the Neko-ken. She fought admirably, for your sake, even though we were unable to succeed. Introduce yourself, Akane."

Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, she forced a smile onto her face and spoke politely, honoring the request her mother had made of her. "Hi, I'm Akane. Nice to meet you," she said.

Ranma observed the girl carefully, weary of her behavior from prior experience with the other version of her. He was acutely aware of her circulating aura being tightly held in check, as well as her superior posture and bearing. This girl clearly possessed a level of ability that was currently beyond that of the one he was familiar with. He suppressed the urge to chuckle as the irony of their basic role reversal, in this reality, sunk in.

"Nice to meet you, too," he replied, uncertain of how he should proceed next. Should he bother providing them with the same explanation that he had to his seudo family? Or should he just play stupid? The fact that the two Tendos were even present alerted him to the likelihood of his father having already had a basic conversation with Soun.

The real question was, what ulterior motives did Genma have and how much had he already told his best friend? He could only think of one thing but found it difficult to justify, considering Genma's reformed personality. Maybe this was just an innocent visit after all ... Then again, maybe he was better off explaining himself ... just in case.

"So, how are you adjusting to life as a teenager?" Soun asked him. "I understand it must be difficult trying to catch up when your last memories are just shy of a ten year old ..."

_'So ... he doesn't know then ...'_ Ranma surmised. "About that ..." he started. "That's not entirely accurate."

Akane quirked an eyebrow. _'Is that right? Hm ... this guy ... there's something about him ... He's got an unusually refined aura ... and the way he's acting doesn't seem to fit with what would be expected from a nine year old. That shouldn't be possible if he was in a coma for the last seven years ...'_ She glanced over to her dad, to see if he had noticed it too. The oblivious look on his face said otherwise. _'That's it ... the old man's gonna get it the next time we spar. He's gotten way too lazy ...'_

"What do you mean?" the Tendo patriarch replied, clearly puzzled.

"There's a good explanation for that," Genma said, walking in with Ranko in tow. He was clad in his old white gi and covered in a thick sheen of sweat from his recent workout. "Boy," he said, nodding in Ranma's direction, "care to give them a demonstration?"

Ranma sighed in resignation. No matter how many times he had shown his curse to people, for the first time, it always came with some level of embarrassment. "Fine ..." he said, grabbing the glass of iced tea, that had accompanied his sandwhich, and unceremoniously dumping it over his head.

The two Tendos wore slightly shocked expressions.

"Saotome ... how is this possible?" Soun asked his friend. "You two never made the trip to China."

"Exactly," Genma replied. "Ranma?"

"Yeah, I ain't from around here," Ranma said. "It's kinda weird, and might be hard for you to believe, but I came from an alternate universe ... or something along those lines," she added.

Soun looked back and forth from Ranko to Ranma. "You two could almost pass for twins."

"Almost ..." Akane said, folding her arms over her chest. "So, let me get this straight, you're not the real Ranma? If that's true, shouldn't we be having this conversation with two Ranma's?"

"I already explained it to my family," Ranma said. "I don't know why, but I've been merged with this reality's Ranma somehow. I still know who I am, but I've absorbed the other one's memories. I don't know what lasting effect this will have on him, but I'm hoping he'll retain some of my memories if we ever manage to be seperated and I find a way back to my real home. Maybe he'll be able to have a normal life after this. Anyway, I haven't gotten around to actually looking for the magical artifact that brought me here, for certain reasons, but I'll be ready to start my search soon. Hopefully ..." she added.

"What's holding you up?" Soun asked.

"That's the reason I called you here, friend," Genma said. "I have another favor to ask of you."

"Of course, old friend," Soun replied. "We'd be more than happy to help. What can we do?"

Akane suddenly had a sinking feeling that she would somehow be sucked in to help her dad's friend, yet again. She let an annoyed sigh escape before rolling her eyes. Her reaction didn't go unnoticed by Ranma.

"A side affect of the trip, according to Ranma, has left her with my son's handicapped body. She has been training to overcome this disadvantage, but I fear it may be futile. Trying to recover over a decade's worth of lost muscle memory would be hard for anyone, even a prodigy. She still has considerable power at her disposal but, for safety reasons, I'd be most grateful if either of you would assist her in her effort to recover a way home. There is sure to be danger associated with a magical mirror of such power. I'd prefer that no harm come to either Ranma."

_'So ... that was the old fart's plan,'_ Ranma thought. _'He must be afraid I'll get his son into trouble ... but, still, I don't anticipate that much danger ...'_ Ranma's eyes settled on Ranko. She was keeping her mouth shut on purpose, but she was clearly uncomfortable listening to everybody discuss her brother's departure. Ranma wished she knew for sure what would become of the other Ranma. If she were able to assure Ranko that he would be alright, then maybe she wouldn't dread her leaving so much. Unfortunately, there was no way to be sure.

"I see ..." Soun said. "I agree with your thinking. Akane?"

"Yeah ...?" she asked, dreading what was sure to come.

"I need you to be Ranma's personal bodyguard as I will be unable to abandon my duties running the dojo so soon after reopening it for business. I expect you to treat this as a real job and approach it professionally. I will, of course, provide you with incentives," he added. "That scroll I mentioned before is yours. If you perform to the best of your ability, like I know you can, then there will be more to follow. You'll do this for me, won't you?"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a sec," Ranma said, before Akane could open her mouth. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I can still handle myself pretty well. There's no need to force her into something she wouldn't choose on her own. I know, from personal experience, that Akane doesn't take kindly to being treated like that. I would rather not suffer the consequences of that if possible. I like to avoid unnecessary violence as much as the next person does," she added.

Akane frowned at the cursed martial artist. "Don't try to act like you know me," she said, with just a hint of contempt. "We've just barely met and you have no right to make assumptions about me. I'm the best there is, at what I do, and I've never failed to win when I set my mind to it. So, if you'll kindly shut your mouth and not interrupt me again, I can make my decision."

Ranma huffed, shrugging her shoulders. _'Whatever ...'_ she thought, shaking her head. _'Akane is Akane no matter how you cut it. Well, at least this one seems to have a bit more control. But does her bite match her bark ...? I wonder ...'_

"I'll do it," Akane said, uncrossing her arms. "If only to show this jerk how serious I am. But … on one condition."

Ranma suppressed a snort and looked away. "What?" she asked.

"I need to know how well you can defend yourself," Akane said.

Ranma looked back toward Akane and was about to give her a smart reply, but instead was kicked in the chest and embedded in the adjacent wall. She coughed as the wind was knocked out of her before quickly refilling her lungs. "That was a cheap shot," Ranma said, pushing herself out of the imprint in the wall.

"No, you're just too slow," Akane replied as she lowered her leg. "You're worse off than I thought."

"You two should take this outside," Genma said. "Nodoka will be home from the grocery store soon and the last thing I want is for her to come home to a wreckage."

"Gladly," Ranma said, walking past everyone while shedding the sweat shirt she had been wearing. "Nobody takes me lightly," she added, throwing the garment down before disappearing around the corner.

Minutes later, the two young martial artists faced off in the Saotome's yard. Each held a similar stance, apprasing each other with their eyes. Akane had a casual air about her, while Ranma was actively tensing her muscles.

"You're nervous," Akane said. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah," Ranma replied. "I don't wanna hurt you. But I can't let my pride be stepped on. I don't usually fight back against girls but, since I'm not at full power, I have to end this quickly. I apologize in advance," she said.

Akane smirked while beckoning Ranma with the wave of a hand. "Come and get me … if you can."

"You first," Ranma replied.

Akane was more than happy to oblige as she rushed the pigtailed girl. The redhead was prepared and brought up an arm to block her haymaker. Akane powered through the other girl's defenses, knowing full well that she would succeed.

Ranma grimaced as the punch connected and sent her reeling backwards. She twisted her body with the blow and managed to flip before landing on her feet. Her chest and forearm smarted from the sheer force they had to absorb. She stretched her arms, popping the joints of her elbows and fingers, before beckoning her opponent again.

When Akane closed the distance again, Ranma was able to better read her moves and duck beneath the backhanded sweep. She placed a quick jab into Akane's ribs before distancing herself once more.

Akane spun around, grasping her side, while wearing an amused smile on her face. "Not bad," she said. "Was that seven or eight punches?"

"Ten, actually," Ranma replied. "That's barely a fraction of what I'm used to, though. Why don't you give up before I embarrass you, even with my handicap?"

"You're too overconfident," Akane said.

"And you're a pathetic excuse for a martial artist ... taking a hit from someone in my condition," Ranma replied. "Tell me, do you pay attention in school? I hope, for your sake, you do 'cause, at this rate, you'll need another day job to pay your bills when you graduate. What a waste …"

Akane snarled before charging Ranma head on and engaging her in a flurry of fast fists.

'_That's right,' _Ranma thought. _'Give in to your anger.'_ She narrowly twisted and dodged the furious blows, taking a few glancing hits, as she weaved the spiral path inward. _'Just a little more …'_

"Gotcha," Ranma said, before thrusting her fist upward. "Hiryuu Shoten Ha!"

Akane realized her mistake too late and was caught in the aftermath. She swore out loud as she was lifted into the air and assaulted by violently swirling winds.

xxx - - - xxx - - - xxx

_**Omake**_

_Six months ago, Bayankala mountain range, China_

Shampoo emerged from the cursed spring after having just completed the flight from her village to Jusenkyo, via Air Akane, with all expenses paid by the other girl's cold hard fist. She was about to panic but, when she realized that she was still a human girl, she instead let out a sigh of relief. _'This must be my lucky day,'_ Shampoo thought.

She climbed out of the water and onto the ground just as the guide was approaching with a kettle of hot water in his grasp.

"It's okay, I'm fine," Shampoo said, returning to her feet. "I can't believe how lucky I am, though."

"Oh no ..." the guide said, as he realized which spring she had just crawled out of. "How unfortunate for you ..."

"Are you even listening?" Shampoo asked. "I was already a girl, you - ugh!" she cried, clutching her abdomen as a terrible pain swept through her insides. "What's ... happening to me?"

"There's a very tragic tale," the guide started, "of a young girl who drowned here about five years ago ..."

"Huh?"

"She had IBS and very bad acne," he continued. "That spring you fell in ... was hers."

"Acne?" she cried, turning around to look at her reflection in the water. She screamed at the sight of her face taken over by swollen red bumps and doubled over as the pain in her abdomen intensified. "What is IBS?" she asked, not really sure she wanted to hear the answer despite herself.

"Irritable bowel syndrome," the corpulent Chinese man replied. He cringed when he realized she was already squatting over the edge of the pond with her pants around her ankles.

"Look away, old man!" she shouted in pain. "Ugh! The horror ... the horror!"


	4. Chapter Four

_**T**__**he **__**N**__**ame's **__**T**__**endo **__**Akane**__**, And I Don't Lose**_

**Summary: **What if Akane's mother hadn't died? What if Soun took his youngest daughter's interest in the art seriously and trained her to become the best she could be? And what if canon Ranma's wish on the Nanban Mirror accidentally dropped him off in this backwards reality? Well, chaos would ensue, naturally.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma or anything else I may happen to reference. I do own the ideas in my head, though. Those are all mine.

**Chapter Four**

Akane spun wildly in the air as the localized tornado pulled her higher into the atmosphere, all while being assaulted by flying blades of grass fast enough to open several small tears in her capri khakis and black tank top. She forgot her anger in favor of focusing on a way to escape her spiralling doom.

"Kaze No Nami!" Akane shouted.

Ranma was taken aback as she watched Akane thrust her arms outward and project a circular burst of powerful, ki-fueled, air pressure that quickly dissolved the upper portion of the twister. The ponytailed Tendo expertly maneuvered in the air and flipped away from the remainder of the attack. Ranma suspected that she might have gone a little too far in underestimating Akane and overestimating her own abilities. The other girl obviously didn't plan on going down that quickly.

Although she had freed herself from the grip of Ranma's artificial twister, she was too high to avoid a hard landing and returned to the ground with a bone jarring impact. She rolled into it to disperse as much of the force as she could, but still came to a halt with several aching joints. She cursed her own recklessness as she knew it was to blame for getting her caught in Ranma's trap.

Ranma nodded to herself as she saw Akane grimace in pain while standing up. _'She's definitely gotta be sore from that. There's no way she'll be as fast as before. Good ... I've evened out the odds.'_

"You angered me on purpose, right? That was pretty sneaky of you," Akane said, shooting Ranma a smirk while dusting bits of grass off of her clothes. "I didn't think you had any special attacks like that."

"What fun would I be if I didn't?" Ranma replied, matching Akane's expression. "I could also say the same for you, too. The Akane I'm used to is an untrained brute. She couldn't hold a candle to you."

Akane quirked an eyebrow. "Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?" she asked.

"You decide," Ranma said, with a shrug. "You're a side to her that I never thought could exist. I gotta say ... so far, I like you the best. And _that,_ for sure, is a compliment."

A confused blush caught Akane by surprise just before Ranma caught her with an axe kick to the top of her head. Her head was jerked downward and her shoulders were used in a hand spring for her opponent's rebound flip.

Ranma landed with her back to the Tendo and followed up with a reverse leg sweep, which was parried with Akane's left foot. The pigtailed girl opted to replace the failed sweep with an upwards kick from her other leg and succeeded in landing a half blocked foot into the side of her gut which lifted the other girl slightly off of the ground. She winced as the muscles in her leg strained.

Akane grabbed the foot that had partially connected with her torso and pulled while twisting, causing the slightly shorter girl to rotate with the motion. Her cursed opponent yelped in pain before Akane manuevered a leg of her own into a side kick which sent the redhead into a flying barrel roll.

Ranma's short flight came to a halt when she slammed, back first, into the wall seperating the backyard from the street. She slid down and hit the ground with a soft 'thunk'. She rolled onto her knees before climbing back to her feet, struggling more than she should have.

"You're out of steam already, aren't you?" Akane asked.

Ranma was too busy catching her breath to verbally reply. She nodded reluctantly, while hunching over and holding her knees for support. "I gave you ... a run for your money, though ... didn't I?" she replied a few moments later.

Akane dropped her stance and folded her arms over her chest. "Okay, you've got some skill. But, you're right about that body of yours. It's obviously holding you back. You do need my help."

"Yeah ... I guess I do," Ranma replied. "Hey," she said, looking toward where the three spectators were sitting. "Would someone mind warming up some water for me, please?"

"On it," Ranko volunteered, cheerfully. She was happy to aid Ranma in almost every way but the one that really mattered.

"Hold it," Genma interrupted. "I've just been informed that we're invited to dinner later this evening. Ranma, you might as well just go and wash up. Akane and her father are going to be returning home now."

Ranma shrugged. "Works for me," she said before slowly approaching Akane. "No hard feelings from earlier, right?" she asked the girl.

Akane hesitated momentarily, remembering the cursed martial artist's second compliment. "Fine, so long as you don't come on to me again. Even if it was only a distraction," she added. "I wouldn't like it if you got carried away. I have bad luck with guys and I don't want to end up pummeling you."

"Hey, I wasn't coming on to you, got it? It was a distraction, yes, but that just happens to be a part of the Anything Goes style. Just because I might prefer your company over the other you doesn't mean I _like_ like you. Me and my Akane have been through more stuff in a couple of years than most normal people have in a lifetime. We actually have history, even if she is a violent maniac most of the time. So don't you go and get the wrong idea either."

Akane rolled her eyes. "So, you like but don't like the other Akane ... Who cares? I didn't ask to hear about that. All I want is to be sure that you'll be as professional as I plan to be about this arrangement. I already have enough boys oggling over me at school. I don't need another weirder one tacked onto the list," she said before turning and walking away. "Let's go home, dad."

Ranma clenched her fists momentarily before sagging in defeat. _'The nerve of that girl! I slip up with one compliment and she makes the wrong assumption. Oh yeah, she's definitely an Akane, alright.'_

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Akane groaned as her new alarm clock activated and destroyed the peaceful sleep she had been enjoying. She rolled onto her side and slapped the top of the device but found that it was not so simple to shut off, much to her annoyance. She forced her eyes open and saw the backlit digital screen displaying several dashes while requesting she enter the four digit code.

_'Code? You've got to be kidding me. Since when are alarm clocks security locked?'_

She slid her legs off the edge of her bed and knelt over the small end table before turning the lamp on. She immediately began rummaging through the pile of loosely stacked papers on it's surface until she found the instruction manual. She struggled to tune out the increasingly persistent digital bells as she scrolled through the table of contents and found the appropriate page. After flipping a few more pages, she found what she needed.

_'The default code is 1-2-3-4? Go figure ...'_ She quickly entered the code and silenced the piece of offending technology. _'Well, shit. Now I'm actually awake,'_ she thought with a grimace. _'No wonder they made it so complicated. You actually have to be awake to shut it off.'_

Sighing, she proceeded to gather her bathing supplies and get ready early for once. Today was the day she was supposed to officially start as Ranma's full time personal security, however stupid it sounded, so she was likely to have little time to herself from now on. Perhaps she could use this time to review the scroll her father had given her the night before.

Everyone else in her family had reacted to Ranma's explanation quite calmly, with the irrefutable evidence that had been presented to them, and quickly accepted the situation as just another of the strange happenings to befall Nerima on a normal basis.

There was an upside to her situation, though. She had permission from her parents to be absent from school as much as she needed in order to aid Ranma, as long as she still kept up with her homework and showed up for tests. Nabiki had also, uncharacteristically, volunteered to be the one to deliver her papers to her teachers. Then again, Akane suspected that her sister may just have been using that to tally a growing debt that would come back to bite her in the ass later.

Twenty minutes later, Akane was fully dressed in casual street clothes that were comfortable enough to fight in, consisting of loose tan cargo shorts, a short sleeve white shirt, and black slip on shoes.

She joined her mother in the kitchen and found Kasumi in there as well. Her oldest sister was simultaneously brewing tea and coffee while her mother had her attention divided between the rice, the miso, and the nattou. "Good morning," Akane greeted.

"Good morning, dear," Rumiko replied, briefly taking her eyes off of the food.

"Good morning," Kasumi said.

"You're up early. Did you sleep well?" Rumiko asked her daughter.

"Eh ... yeah, I guess. I'm just thought I could use the extra time to mentally prepare myself for today. Excuse me, I'm gonna be in the dojo for bit," she said, reaching for the scroll in one of the cargo pockets of her shorts. "I'll be back in time for breakfast."

"Okay, dear."

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Ranma casually strolled along the top of a wall with his hands in the pockets of the loose black kung fu pants he had convinced his parents to buy for him. Yesterday's spar had been the closest thing to an actual fight he'd had since arriving in this reality and he didn't like the restrictions jeans placed on his flexibility. So, they had made a short trip to the local clothing outlet yesterday afternoon, before dinner with the Tendos, and found him a few outfits similar to what he was used to. He currently donned a Chinese style long sleeved white shirt with red stitching in the seams.

He vaulted over the break in his path and landed on the next wall before continuing at a relaxed pace. He was in no hurry to arrive at the Tendos. After all, his plans for today didn't involve much travelling. So, he could take his time.

After a peaceful stroll on the scenic route, he arrived in time to see Nabiki departing for high school and Kasumi to college. He was glad to know that, at least in this universe, the eldest Tendo girl was doing something more with her life. She clearly seemed to be more lively as a result.

He landed softly near the entrance and greeted the girls with a nod as they passed by. He was promptly greeted with a smile from Akane's mom, who ushered him inside the house before informing him that her youngest had just went into the dojo for some reason. He thanked her before making his way there.

As he walked in, he noticed Akane sitting in a lotus position at the very center of the floor with an open scroll laid out in front of her. Her eyes were closed. Ranma took another step toward her and was immediately greeted with a giant demon head, Akane style. He stifled the urge to laugh out loud at the pitiful imitation. The rough approximation looked more like a clown on drugs.

"So, this is what you were so excited about last night?" Ranma asked, thoroughly unphased.

"Give me a break, it's still a work in progress," Akane replied, after dropping the technique. "I just started this morning."

"Anyway," Ranma said, changing the subject, "I guess we should get a move on. There's really only one place I want to check out today so, if we get done early, maybe we can spar afterwards?"

"Alright. I'm ready whenever you are."

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

"So, where are we going anyway?" Akane asked as they exited the subway station amongst a crowd of various people.

"Supposedly, there's an antique shop in downtown Tokyo that specializes in occult artifacts and medicine. I stumbled onto their website the other day. It took me a while to figure out how, 'cause Ranko wouldn't help me, but I was able to mapquest us some directions. It's only a couple of blocks from here," Ranma said, as they reached the top of the stair well and got onto the sidewalk.

"Oh ... Wait, then what do you need me for? I doubt visiting a shop in downtown poses any threat to you," Akane said. "I was under the impression that I would only be called upon when you planned to do something dangerous."

"Heh heh, well, I thought you wouldn't mind a chance to skip school and be justified. That's why I didn't actually tell everyone the details. Besides, who's to say we won't run into something unexpected? Actually, I never liked coming here by myself."

"Geez, you need me to hold your hand or something?" Akane mocked.

"Ha ... ha ... ha," Ranma replied, sarcastically. "Just shut up and follow me will ya?"

"Humph ... whatever. Lead the way, doofus."

xxx - - - xxx - - - xxx

_**Sorry for the short chapter, but it was necessary. Thanks for reading.**_


	5. Chapter Five

_**T**__**he **__**N**__**ame's **__**T**__**endo **__**Akane**__**, And I Don't Lose**_

**Summary:** What if Akane's mother hadn't died? What if Soun took his youngest daughter's interest in the art seriously and trained her to become the best she could be? And what if canon Ranma's wish on the Nanban Mirror accidentally dropped him off in this backwards reality? Well, chaos would ensue, naturally.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma or anything else I may happen to reference. I do own the ideas in my head, though. Those are all mine.

**Chapter Five**

The bells hanging above the entrance to the shop jingled as the door swung shut behind the two teenaged martial artists. It was dark inside of the establishment, with only a few rays of sunlight sneaking through the gaps around the thickly curtained windows. Particles of dust were visible in the air where the faint light reached. Akane resisted the urge to sneeze as she inhaled the stagnant air.

The stacks of old furniture, and various other multi-sized artifacts, littered the majority of walking space available and left the duo with no choice but to find their own path by squeezing through the maze. At the farthest end, an ancient looking man sat behind a large wooden counter while reading a book through thick glasses. He didn't bother looking up until they reached him and one of them cleared their throats to catch his attention.

"Ah, customers," the elderly man acknowledged, adjusting his glasses. "Hold on for a minute. I'm almost done with this chapter," he said, before returning his attention to the paper-back in his hands.

_'Is this guy for real?' _Akane thought. _'How does he expect to stay in business if he makes his customers wait?'_ "Excuse me?" she asked, impatiently. "Can't you finish that _after_ you help us?"

Ranma elbowed Akane in the ribs. "Calm down," he hissed. "What if he gets mad and refuses to help me?"

The old man furrowed his wrinkly brow and lifted his gaze back up to the pair of waiting customers. He sighed heavily. "Kids these days ..." He flipped the book closed and dropped it on the countertop. "What brings you into my humble establishment?"

"Well, I found your website and thought you might be able to help me find something," Ranma started.

"The what?" the old man asked. "Website? What's that?"

"Y'know, a website ... on the internet? You must have a computer if your shop has a website, right?" Ranma asked.

"Computer ..." the old man muttered. "Boy, get out here!" he shouted.

Moments later, a pale and scrawny looking teenager stumbled out from behind the curtains that hung over the hallway's entrance.

"Gosunkugi?" the two martial artists stammered in unison. "Wait, you know him too?" they asked each other.

"He's a classmate where I'm from," Ranma said. "What about you?"

"He was for me too, until he transfered to a different school," Akane replied.

Ignoring his customers, the old man leveled his gaze upon the sickly boy to his right. "Hikaru, are you responsible for this website those two mentioned? I know you like to play around on that computer of yours."

Gosunkugi sniffled before bringing a tissue up and blowing his nose. "Don't be mad, grandfather. I just wanted to help attract more business. Hi, Akane," he added afterward. He was clearly too sick for the blush to be noticeable on his already red face. "Who's your friend?"

"You don't know me, but I used to go to school with you ..." _'In another universe,'_ he thought. "I'm Ranma," he said, with a short wave.

"Oh ... I apologize. I can't seem to recall. Anyway, please forgive my grandfather's rudeness. I would be more than willing to help you both."

"No, no ..." the old man grumbled. "You're home sick today, so you should get back to resting already. I don't want you missing any more days than you already have."

"But grandfather?"

"No complaining," the bespectacled man replied. "Hurry along now."

"Fine," Gosunkugi replied. "But you ha ... haaa ... HACHOO! ... better be nice to my friends," he added, before waving goodbye and disappearing into the back.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, the shop keeper cleared his throat. "Well? What is it you two need?"

"Okay," Ranma started, before inhaling the breath he knew he would need for his long-winded explanation. "I had this magical mirror I got from a tribe of Chinese amazons and it was supposed to take me anywhere I wanted to go, with no limits on time or distance. Instead of letting me travel through time, like it has before, I got sent into another reality and now here I am, but I don't know what happened to the mirror. I'm also stuck in the body of my other self. Do you know anything about the nanban mirror or maybe have something that can help me find a way back to my original universe?"

The old man blinked several times, his eyes magnified by the thick lenses of his spectacles. He sighed. "I haven't heard of this mirror you speak of and, frankly, it sounds made up. However, if what you say is true, I might have something that can help you. Give me a moment," he said, before reaching under the counter and rummaging around.

Ranma shot a hopeful glance to Akane before Gosunkugi's grandpa spoke again.

"Ah, here it is," the old man said. He dropped a small metal compass on the counter top. "This little baby can help you find just about anything. It points to wherever you want to be, or whatever it is you want most. Be careful, though. Most peoples' desires can be easily influenced. Focus is required if you want it to work properly for you."

Ranma reached a hand toward the trinket on the counter top but was interrupted by the old man.

"That'll be ninety-thousand yen," he said, holding out his hands with a wrinkly smile on his face.

The pigtailed martial artist paused. "Say what? That's way too steep a price for a rusty old compass. How do I know it'll even do what it you say it does?"

The old man sighed, rolling his eyes. "That's just a chance you're going to have to take, now isn't it? Do you want it or not?"

Ranma grumbled to himself. The allowance he had been given to cover his expenses while away was only a fraction of what this geezer was asking. There was no way he could afford it on his own. "Hey, Akane, can-"

"No," she replied flatly, crossing her arms.

"C'mon, please? I'd really appreciate it ..."

"No way," she said, glaring at him. "You think I'm made of money or something? My entire savings isn't even that much and there's no way I'm wasting it on you," said with a tone of finality.

_'Damn! Now what am I supposed to do?'_ he asked himself. "Hey, old man, save that for me would ya? I'll be back for that thing as soon as I have the money."

"If you insist," the shop keeper replied.

"Well, I guess we should get back then," Ranma said, with a disappointed sigh.

"Good luck," the elderly man said as he watched the two depart. "Now," he said, grabbing his book, "where was I? Ah, here we are ..."

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

"Oh, great, where am I now?" Ryoga sighed as he came to an intersection with a stop light. _'Well, at least I'm still in Japan,'_ he thought, after noticing that all the signs in the immediate area were in his native language.

Shrugging it off, he pressed onward in his effort to reach Nerima for his long awaited reunion with Akane. Just the thought of her was enough to rejuvenate his dwindling motivation. Imagining how close he was to finally confessing to her caused his soul to burn with increased strength and determination.

His mind was soon clouded with images of his dream girl bounding across rooftops with grace beyond measure. Her already superb beauty was only accentuated by her great skill in the art as was blatantly visible by her careful control over her body's movements which, to him, was poetry in motion. He conveniently missed the two people who trailed closely behind her.

Realizing that he may have been getting slightly ahead of himself, he attempted to blink the day dream out of his eyes but found that he could not remove it. Having the ever growing image of Akane in his head was not a bad thing, in his opinion, but it troubled him slightly that he could no longer control his own imaginings. Try as he might, he could not shake the vision of her bounding across the horizon. It even seemed as if she were getting closer to him.

"Ryoga! Duck!"

_'Now I'm hearing her voice, too._ _ I've really got it bad,' _he thought, seriously.

"Lookout!" Ryoga heard once more before seeing his imaginary Akane land and then vault off of a light post that was directly in front of him.

He was momentarily hypnotized by the sight of her nicely toned legs as she passed over his head in a long leap. He was so entranced, in fact, that he failed to notice the pigtailed boy until it was too late. It was only after said boy rebounded off of his head that he registered his presence. Then it dawned on him that he probably wasn't dreaming.

"Ouch!" he hissed, as a colorful mace slammed into the side of his head. Apparently, there was a third participant in what appeared to be a brutal game of tag. He turned his head in time to see a purple haired girl, with a loud outfit, descend upon him and perform a repeat of the pigtailed boy's acrobatic show.

"Hey!" he shouted, fed up with being used as a spring board. He grabbed the ankle of Akane's pursuer before she had gotten more than a few inches off of his head.

Reacting instinctively, he applied a little extra force to the hostile's own momentum and threw her away from himself. Unfortunately, she ended up going through the adjacent brick wall that ran parallel with the sidewalk. Ryoga freaked out. _'Oh shit, I didn't mean to do that.'_

He ran over and pulled her out of whoever's backyard she had been laying in. He then carried her into the cover of an alley, to avoid the unwanted gazes of bystanders, and attempted to wake her.

"Hey," he said, shaking her slightly until she came to. "Thank goodness, you're alright. I didn't mean to hurt you, and I'm not an abuser of women, but why were you chasing my friend and who's that other guy?" he added, a little less politely.

Shampoo blinked a few times, trying to get the world to stop spinning. Once her vision cleared up, she realized that the boy kneeling above her was the same person who had knocked her out. Her eyes immediately glazed over in excitement. What incredibly good luck she had to be subdued by such a fine specimen of the opposite gender!

Before Ryoga knew it, he was trapped in a frozen stupor as the purple haired girl locked lips with him. When she finally broke the kiss, the only thing his brain registered before completey shutting down was ...

"Airen, wo ai ni!"

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Akane landed gracefully on the street, and continued at a relaxed walking pace, after realizing that she had successfully evaded the Chinese girl that had been on their heels for the last twenty minutes. Ranma joined her moments later, landing roughly a few feet behind her and panting for breath while catching up to her.

"You didn't tell me ... that you knew Shampoo ..." the boy breathed, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Neither did you," Akane replied. "So, I guess that makes us even."

"Maybe ..." Ranma said. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Akane shrugged. "Beats me. I don't know what you're used to. Just because we both happen to know Shampoo doesn't mean everything else is the same."

"Good point," he said.

"So ... how do you plan on getting that money?" Akane asked, changing the subject.

"I may not have to," Ranma replied. "If Shampoo's out here then that means the old ghoul should be too. She could probably help me out."

"I wouldn't count on it," Akane said. "Even if you're on better terms with her in your world, you're nothing but a stranger to her here. Plus, by associating with me, you're even worse off. That old hag hates me because I humiliated Shampoo inside of their village."

"Yeah, I already guessed that much. Amazons aren't likely to make a trip overseas unless they have a kiss of death to fulfill. But, I'm not too worried. I'm pretty sure I can get her to trust me," he said confidently.

"There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?" Akane asked, suspiciously. "What is it?"

"You'll see ..."

Akane sighed. "Look, whatever you have planned, I don't think it's a good idea to barge in there in your condition. I may be the best, but I would still have a hard time protecting you if a fight broke out with the old hag. Besides, the Neko-Hanten isn't going anywhere any time soon. You should wait until you've improved some more."

"Is that a hint of concern I detect in your voice?" Ranma quipped.

"No, I'm just being smart," she replied. "If you wanna go right now, go ahead, but I won't be there to help you."

"Geez, fine then. If you're gonna be like that, then I guess I will wait a little while. Man, you're such a party pooper."

"Whatever ..."

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Ryoga's eyelids fluttered as he regained consciousness. They snapped wide open when he saw the purple haired girl leaning over him. She gently brushed his bangs aside and let out a relieved sigh. Ryoga rolled into a defensive crouch several feet away from her.

"Who ... are you?" Ryoga asked, nervously.

"I is Shampoo," she replied. "You is airen. What your name?" she asked.

"A-Airen ...?" he stammered. _'She must be Chinese ... but why did she just call me that?'_ _**"What's going on here?"**_he asked, switching over to Mandarin. Being lost in China so often had gifted him with a few small advantages.

_**"You speak Mandarin?"**_ Shampoo asked, elation in her voice. _**"This is wonderful! We must have been fated to meet. Don't make me wait any longer. I must know my husband's name,"**_ she insisted.

_**"My name is Ryoga, but why do you think I'm your husband? We just met! What kind of weird girl are you?"**_

_**"It's tribal law,"**_ she explained. _**"Any woman warrior defeated by a man must take that man as her husband ... and what a man you are ..."**_ she added with a purr. _**"Your strength will be added to my tribe when I bear your children."**_

Ryoga's mind boggled. _'Bear my ... children ...?'_ His nose began to leak blood as the thought, and what it entailed, sank in. _'She wants to do ... that ... with me?'_ He shook his head clear of those dirty thoughts and wiped away the blood before jumping to his feet.

_**"Get away from me,"**_ he said, backing away slowly. _**"I would never betray my beloved Akane. Please, just leave me alone,"**_ he added before spinning on his heel and running away.

_'Akane ...?' _Shampoo thought, her hands trembling as she balled them into fists. _ 'He's in love with her! I'll kill her!'_

The purple haired amazon snarled in fury before leaping back to the rooftops in search of her prey.

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Yoiko set the lid back on the garbage can after dropping a black bag inside of it. She released a lonely sigh as she turned around and walked back up to her house. When she saw that she had left the door open, by accident, she quickly ran inside and slammed it behind her.

_'Oh, no,'_ she thought. "Checkers!" she called. "Come here, girl!" When she heard nothing in response, her shoulders sagged in despair. _'Now she's gone, too ...'_

She immediately perked up when her ears picked up the distant sound of barking. It couldn't have been more than a few blocks away! She grabbed her house keys and a leash before exiting the house in a rush.

A few minutes of brisk running brought her to an intersection with a small park on the corner opposite of her. She smiled in relief when she heard another bark. It had to be her. She hurriedly crossed the street and ran into the trees lining the sidewalk.

At the heart of the park was a circular fountain. Sitting on the edge of the fountain was her brother. He was laughing happily as Checkers licked his hands while wagging her tail excitedly.

"Good, girl," Ryoga said, tickling his dog behind her ears. "I missed you, too," he added, before looking up and catching sight of his sister. "Yoiko!"

"Brother!" Yoiko exclaimed, a broad smile decorating her face as she ran forward and enveloped him in a crushing hug. She squeezed him tightly before coming to her senses and slugging him in the shoulder. "Don't ever disappear for that long again! Do you realize how lonely and worried I've been?"

"Oh ... I'm sorry ..." he replied. "But I'm much stronger now than I was before. I think I'm finally worthy enough to ask her out!"

"Oh, brother ..." Yoiko muttered. "Ryoga, when are you gonna realize that she's not worth the effort?"

"You don't understand, Yoiko-chan. I've never felt this way about any another girl before. She's ... perfect ..." he replied, his eyes taking on a distant look.

"Hey!" Yoiko yelled, snapping him out of it. "Well," she sighed, "if you're that serious then let's get it over with so you can finally come home. Come on," she said, pulling him away from the fountain after securing the leash to Checkers' collar.

xxx - - - xxx - - - xxx

_**Omake**_

_**Part II**_

_Jusenkyo, China_

"HIIIII-DEE-HOOOOO!" a high pitched voice greeted from behind the purple haired amazon as she relieved herself near the cursed pool.

Shampoo trembled as a shiver ran down her spine. She twisted slightly and peered over her shoulder. She was greeted by a disturbing scene. Sitting amongst her own excrement was, what appeared to be, an animated being composed of fecal matter. Upon what could only be described as the 'head', was a small replica of Santa Clause's red hat. The little shit sported a broad smile as it waved a gloved hand and winked at her.

"W-What the ... hell are you?" she asked, terrified.

"I'm Mr. Hankey, the Christmas poo!" it replied, cheerfully. "Have you been a good girl this year?"

Shampoo screamed in terror before violently kicking the thing into a pool several feet away from the one she had recently come out of.

"Help! I can't swim! Please!" the jolly dump shouted as it flailed wildly in the deep water. Gurgling noises followed as it swallowed water and drowned. When it was all over, it's lifeless body floated face down in the water.

The amazon sighed in relief before settling her eyes on the equally disturbed guide. "How far away is your hut? I need a bath ... badly," she said.

"This way," the guide replied.

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

"Where in the world have I wandered to now?" Ryoga asked himself as he studied the upside down map in his hands.

The lost boy walked aimlessly as he failed to make heads or tails of the symbols on the unfolded sheet of paper before him. He was so focused on deciphering the thing that he didn't even notice the valley below him. He only managed to tear his attention away from the thing when he accidentally slipped on a pebble and tumbled over the cliff's edge that he had been following.

He screamed in terror as he plummeted to his doom, or so he thought, until he noticed the many pools below him. He silently thanked his guardian angel for putting him in the path of a large spring that would hopefully break his fall and save his life.

Moments later, the aforementioned spring erupted in a splash as the young martial artist made contact. The surface settled shortly before a small gloved hand reached out to touch the dirt. A little brown arm and long brown body soon followed as the little thing pulled itself out of the water.

The yellow bandana clad dookie coughed up water before rolling onto it's back and sighing. "I'm alive." Ryoga went rigid as he realized his voice didn't sound right. _'What's that smell ...?'_

The cursed Hibiki sat up and looked himself over before unleashing a blood curdling scream upon the valley of pools.


	6. Chapter Six

_**T**__**he **__**N**__**ame's **__**T**__**endo **__**Akane**__**, And I Don't Lose**_

**Summary:** What if Akane's mother hadn't died? What if Soun took his youngest daughter's interest in the art seriously and trained her to become the best she could be? And what if canon Ranma's wish on the Nanban Mirror accidentally dropped him off in this backwards reality? Well, chaos would ensue, naturally.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma or anything else I may happen to reference. I do own the ideas in my head, though. Those are all mine.

**Chapter Six**

The midday sun beat down relentlessly as the two Anything Goes students approached the Saotome home. They stopped just outside of the gate, and said their farewells before parting ways. Ranma watched the Tendo girl disappear around a corner before walking into the genkan and slipping his shoes off.

"I'm home," he called out.

"Welcome back, sweety," his mother's voice replied. "Could you come in here, please? There's someone here to see you."

Ranma quirked an eyebrow in curiosity before strolling into the living room where he found his seudo mother sitting across from an eerily familiar person as they drank tea together. The young man who joined Nodoka looked almost exactly like him save for his complexion and the style of his hair. Absent were the bangs and pigtail, as well as Ranma's pale coloring. In their stead was a tightly pulled ponytail and lightly tanned skin. He also looked slightly more ... weathered? The red tunic and black pants he wore were reminiscent of Ranma's old Chinese silks.

"What's ... going on here? Who are you?" Ranma asked, training a suspicious gaze onto the stranger.

"Mrs. Saotome, if you don't mind, I think he and I will be taking this conversation elsewhere. Please excuse us," the look-a-like said before abandoning his seat. He made eye contact with Ranma before brushing past him on his way toward the front door. "Follow me," he said. It was not a request.

Ranma frowned at the back of the guy's head before reluctantly complying. He caught up with his doppleganger in the genkan and slipped his shoes back on before following him outside. The imposter immediately leapt up onto the roof of the house, to which Ranma joined him without further prompting. Ranma landed lightly, in a ready stance, before addressing the guy who wore his face. "Alright, are you ready to tell me who you are and what you want?"

The other man's coldly serious facade abruptly vanished to be replaced by one of significantly less severity. "I hate beating around the bush just as much as you do, so I'll just come out with it. I'm you from the future. For lack of confusion, just call me Mirai. As for the second part of that question, I've come here to help."

Ranma stifled a laugh, settling for a snort instead. "Why not 'Trunks'? I mean, if you're gonna rip off Dragonball Z, you might as well not half ass it," he chided sarcastically. "Look, this ain't the first time I've had someone try to replace me and I don't take kindly to imposters. I don't care how convincing your disguise is, you cant fool me. So, if it's a fight you're looking for, let's get on with it," he finished, puncuating his statement with the crack of his knuckles. "Oh, and I'd like my face back when this is over," he added.

"Feh ... typical," Mirai replied, before reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a small compass. He held the item out for Ranma to see.

"Th-That's the magical compass from Gosunkugi's grandpa's shop! How did you get that?" Ranma demanded.

"I had Kuno buy it for me," Mirai replied, casually. "Even in this reality, that doofus is hot for my girl side," he added, with a shudder. "Anyway, Nabiki wouldn't loan me the money, so I had no choice. Do you believe me yet?"

Ranma considered the other guy as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, you do seem to know my situation already, and that does sound like something I would do ..."

"Good. It's important you trust me, because you're an integral part of the final phase in my plan," Mirai replied. "If you ever want to get home, you'll do exactly as I say."

"Like hell I am. I'm not gonna agree to anything until I know what you're asking," Ranma said, folding his arms over his chest.

Mirai sighed, rolling his eyes. He then reached behind his back and pulled out a nanban mirror from somewhere, causing Ranma to gawk. He outstretched his arm and held the mirror at eye level in front of his counterpart. "Touch it."

"Is it really ...?"

"Yes," Mirai replied. "If you wanna know what I know, then touch it. Hurry up, already."

After another moment of hesitation, Ranma complied. The second his fingers made contact with the object, he realized they were no longer standing on the roof of the Saotome home. Instead, they stood somewhere in a flat landscape with the only notable features being the black sky and white ground. Both he and Mirai stood on the surface of a large representation of the nanban mirror as it lay flat with its glass facing upward. Ranma was able to see his own reflection but noticed that Mirai's was missing.

"What the hell is this? Where are we?" Ranma asked.

"We're in a kind of limbo," Mirai said. "Think of it as a higher plane reserved for those who wield the power of the mirror. Normally, it would be impossible to come here unless you were summoned by the spirit of the mirror. However, since I am now one with a version of that same spirit, I can come and go from here as I please. I brought you here becasue it makes explaining things much easier."

Ranma cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Mirai sighed in reply.

"Let me just start by filling you in on a few facts," Mirai continued. "The mirror is simply a container for a magical spirit that grants wishes involving movement through space and time. When the mirror gets damaged, so does the spirit. Now, the spirit is capable of repairing the mirror, and healing itself, by using the energy it has stored for granting wishes. However, by nature, the spirit is compelled to grant wishes regardless of it's health. So, if someone were to make a wish on it during a critical stage of it's healing, what would happen? I'll tell you. It would exhaust it's store of ambient universal energy on wishes, disregarding it's own repair, up until the point where it was left with insufficient amounts. And then, if it were asked to grant a wish after that point, it would utilize any readily available source of convertable energy to make sure it's duty was fulfilled. Guess whose energy it used?"

"Um ... mine?" Ranma supplied.

"Bingo!" Mirai confirmed. "How good do you think the spirit was at manipulating foreign energy to be compatible with it's own if it barely had enough to survive beforehand?"

"Um ... not very good?"

"That's right, mildly dense younger self, good for you. So, if you've been paying proper attention, you've already gathered that our arrival into this reality/dimension was the result of an inevitable blunder by a desperate mirror spirit. What you surely haven't discovered yet, is that both the original mirror, and our original body, were destroyed in the process. With no container left, the magical spirit took the initiative and deposited our spirit, along with itself, into the body of our alternate self. Thus, we wake up as a participant in an alternate life while slowly absorbing the magical spirit into our own."

"WHAT! WE'RE DEAD!" Ranma shouted.

"Just our body, but it still sucks doesn't it?" Mirai replied. "Years of hard work lost ... just like that. But, being one with a magical spirit is not without perks," he added. "I have access to all of it's accumulated knowledge, as well as the ability to manipulate time and space to a certain extent."

Ranma's mouth went dry as he held his hands up for inspection. "If we go back, will I lose this body too?" he asked. "What'll happen to the other Ranma?"

"Ah, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Mirai said. "The other Ranma is slowly being overwritten by you. When I found out about it, it was already too late. I've come back to make sure we don't deprive anyone of the right to live their own life. In order to do that, you need to relinquish that body to him and join me in this body, where our spirits can be reintegrated. After that, we can use this other mirror to boost the focus of our combined magical power and open a portal back to where we belong without sacrificing our new body."

"Really? We can fix all of this?" Ranma asked, hopefully. "How do I give him this body back?"

"All you need to do is be willing to give it up. I'll handle the rest. When we return to the real world, everything will be as it should," Mirai said, as his eyes began to glow white.

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

"Alright, everyone," Genma said, tossing a sweat towel around his neck as he addressed the group of teenagers seated on the blue mats before him. "The big tournament is coming up soon, so I expect you to be perfecting your forms on your own time as well. Your performances at the end of the week will determine who I nominate to represent us at the tournament. Class dismissed."

The gi clad students of the karate club bowed in respect before rising and filing out of Furinkan's large gym through the doors that connected it to the locker rooms. When the last of them were gone, Genma checked his watch and sighed. After lunch there were still two more regular gym classes for him to teach.

Sometimes he wished he could bring himself to ask Nodoka to get a job, but he knew it wasn't proper. She was old fashioned and had no real experience outside of a domestic environment. Besides, he felt he owed it to her to hold a somewhat respectable job to make up for his failings in the past.

_'Oh well,'_ he sighed, taking a swig from his water bottle. _'It's only a few more hours ...'_

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

A white bus rolled to a stop in Nerima's transit depot, it's air brakes hissing as the glass doors slid open. Among the first passengers to disembark was a brown haired teenager with a large metal spatula strapped to their back and several smaller ones fitted snugly onto the front of a brown bandolier. This individual was clad in a generic boy's high school uniform of a dark navy blue color. Every outward appearance suggested that this person was merely a very bishonen male, with an unusual appreciation for polished cookware.

Kuonji Ukyo inhaled as deep a breath as her chest bindings would allow and stretched her legs as she walked along the side of the bus to where transit employees had already begun unloading the passengers' luggage.

Minutes later, she sat in the back of a taxi cab watching the town pass by as she drew closer to her new residence. Taking her eyes off of the scenery, she pulled a piece of paper out of her coat pocket and unfolded it. It was a printout with a map and an address. She abruptly crushed the sheet in her fist and growled under her breath.

"I'm coming for you ..."

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Akane arched her back, while suspended in the air, and flipped herself upside down before blocking a high kick from her father with both of her hands. The momentum bolstered her gravity defying maneuvers and ushered her even higher. Her feet touched the ceiling, allowing her to push off in a new direction, and she quickly distanced herself from the resident master of the Tendo dojo. After a short hand-spring, she righted herself and landed on her feet in enough time to counter her father's low kick with one of her own.

Soun grinned as his daughter's left shin stopped his own. He quickly withdrew himself from the stalemate and followed up with an airborne round house kick intended for the right side of her head.

The youngest Tendo lifted her right arm to absorb the kick, but didn't anticipate her father twisting in the air and swinging an elbow down toward her head. She leaned her head to the side, just in time, but took a blow to her right shoulder. She buckled slightly under the pressure, causing her to flinch, and fell victim to her father's grab and throw combo.

The Anything Goes master anticipated his daughter's aerial recovery and sprinted after her. He came upon her just after she landed and ducked under a punch. However, the punch turned out to be a feint and he was punished with a knee to the face that sent him reeling onto his back. When he reopened his eyes, he saw Akane in the air above him. He rolled to the side to avoid the foot that broke through the floor board where his head had been a millisecond before.

Still on the floor, Soun twisted his body into a capoiera windmill and assaulted his teenage opponent with a flurry of consecutive upside down kicks. After three full rotations, he dropped his body and seemlessly switched to a coffee grinder sweeping kick which succeeded in flooring the girl.

The sixteen year old caught herself with both hands and rolled into a somersault with the intent to heel kick the man. However, her opponent dove over the kick and got behind her before she could connect. Being a flexible young woman, she was able to bring a leg up and kick the man's hand away before he landed a palm strike to the back of her head. She was surprised when his other hand caught her ankle, before she could bring it back down, and pulled her leg to the edge of it's limit.

Soun quickly took advantage and hooked an arm around her extended leg before securing his hand behind her neck to maintain leverage. With Akane in the half hold, he applied pressure in hopes of having her tap out.

Akane grunted as she struggled against the grapple she was stuck in, but refused to tap out. It was only a half hold, however, so she grabbed her father's forearm, for support, and swung her free leg up.

Soun expected as much and leaned his head just out of her foot's reach before swinging her body over his head in one quick heave. He followed up by releasing the hold and grabbing her ankle once more before slamming her onto her back near the busted floor boards. Before he could continue, the door to the dojo slid open and his wife cleared her throat.

"Akane, you've got a phone call," Rumiko said. "Honey, school's going to end within the next hour. Shouldn't you start setting up for the afternoon class?"

Soun looked slightly sheepish. "I guess I lost track of time, heh heh ..." He let go of Akane's gi and stood up before offering her a hand.

Akane took the hand and returned to her feet before brushing herself off with her hands. "Looks like these classes have been good for you, old man. You're actually in good enough shape to give me a challenge again."

"Yes, well, as the master of this dojo, I do have a reputation to uphold. Now, run along and accept your call. We'll continue this later," he replied.

"You'd better be ready," Akane said, before following her mother out of the dojo.

Moments later, Akane lifted the phone receiver to her ear. "Hello? Yoiko? How'd you get my house number? Oh. You do? Might as well, I guess. No, don't risk it. Just give me directions and I'll meet you over there. Alright."

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Genma adjusted the strap of the duffle bag he carried over his right shoulder before leaping onto the next roof. He twisted his body to the side just before a trio of metal spatulas sliced into the shingles where he would have been. The strap, having been grazed by one of the projectiles, tore and let the bag fall. The gi clad man spun around, looking up. Blocking out the sun, his attacker descended from the sky, casting a shadow upon him as the oversized spatula was swung in a downward arc.

The middle aged man dove to the side before the sharpened edge of the flat cooking utensile smashed into the surface he had been standing on. He immediately had to duck to avoid a horizontal slice from taking his head off. After rolling from a somersault into a handstand, he flipped back onto his feet before whipping around to stop the blade's motion with the ki-enhanced flat of his left palm. A few drops of blood trickled from the superficial cut.

"You ..." Genma gasped as he got a good look at his assailant's scowling face. "I don't believe it ..."

"Believe it, you old bastard!" Ukyo spat. "The time has finally come ... for me to exact my revenge and regain my honor!" she shouted, before withdrawing her blade and coming back with a reversed swing.

The reformed Saotome back-flipped, kicking the blade out of the cross-dressing girl's hands in the process, before landing and sweeping her off of her feet with a low kick. He quickly moved to stand over her and hold her down with a well placed foot.

"You've gotten much better ... I'll admit that," Genma said, looking down upon his would-be murderer. "But, you still don't stand a chance against someone of my caliber."

"Screw you, asshole!" Ukyo shouted, before spitting at him.

"I suppose I deserve that," he said, wiping the saliva from his face.

"And much more! Now get off of me and accept your punishment!"

"No, not until you hear me out," he said, crossing his arms

"Why should I waste my time listening to you?"

"You don't have to, but I wont let you up until I'm finished with what needs to be said."

Upon hearing a sigh of resignation from the girl under his foot, Genma continued. "A lot has happened between then and now. I've realized the error of my old ways and have done my best to atone since then. Were it not for my responsibilities as the provider for my family, I would consider allowing you your retribution. However, I still have people who rely on me to take care of them. Besides, the suffering I've been forced to endure for the last seven years is worse than death in my opinion. The guilt ... was unbearable at times ..."

Ukyo rolled her eyes. "Guilt? Yeah right ..."

"I am sorry for the things I did and the people I've hurt along the way, but I'm even more sorry that my son had to pay the price for my mistakes. Not too long after we left you, Ranma fell victim to my own stupidity and has, until recently, been in a coma."

"Even if I believed your stupid sob story, which I don't by the way, it still doesn't change anything! My life has been hell because of what you did! I have no honor and no place among my family as long as things stay the way they are!" she seethed. "Ranma's gonna wish he really did die in a coma when I get through with the two of you!"

"You have it wrong, girl, if you think my son deserves any of the blame. That boy was about as dense as they come. He didn't even know you were a girl. Hell, I'm still not sure he's figured it out yet. I sure as hell never clued him in on the fact that you two are engaged. Even without knowing that, he never forgave me for leaving you behind. You were his very first best friend, Ukyo. I'm sure he still misses you, too."

"Enough, already!" she screamed. "I'm tired of your lies! As soon as you let me up, I'm just going to attack you again and you know it. Why don't you just quit this game you're playing and finish me off!"

"I'm not going to do that," Genma replied, calmly. "In fact, why don't you come with me so I can reintroduce you as his fiancee? For now, it's the best I can do. Although, I can't promise that Ranma will be what you expect. He's ... a little odd, but I'm sure you two will be getting along famously in no time at all."

Ukyo furrowed her brow as her eyes bore into Genma's. "You actually expect me to trust you?" she asked. "Why would you suddenly decide to uphold the engagement after all this time?"

"Look, I get it. My track record isn't very good, but my house is only a few blocks from here. If you can manage to follow me that far without attacking me, I promise you'll see Ranma. Anyway, if it turns out I'm lying, you can always just attack me again. What do you say?"

After a thoughtful moment of silence, Ukyo reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Fine. I guess a few more blocks isn't that far."

"Great! Come on then," he said, lifting his foot.

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Ryoga reclined into the cushiony sofa, releasing a contented sigh before his little sister set a tray of tea on the coffee table and plopped down beside him.

"It's good to finally have you back, brother. I hope you intend to stay longer this time. You do realize that when mom left us to follow dad around the world, she probably assumed that we were going to stick together. I'm barely thirteen, after all. How can I be expected to live on my own so soon?"

"I'm sorry, Yoiko. I wouldn't have left if I thought you couldn't handle yourself, though. Besides, I was never gone for more than a few weeks at a time. That's nothing compared to dad."

"Well, Akane should be here any second now to set you straight. You'd better be ready to listen."

The doorbell chimed a moment later and Yoiko darted out of her seat to answer it. She reappeared with Akane in tow and she quickly retook her seat beside her brother while the older girl sat across from them.

Ryoga felt oddly like a pile of jello under the watch of her gorgeous eyes. "Uh ... h-hi there, Akane. H-How have y-you been?" he asked, twiddling his thumbs nervously.

"Hi, Ryoga," Akane started. "Look, I'm gonna be totally honest with you, alright? You seem like a pretty decent guy, overlooking the fact that you're apparently way too obsessed with me. After dealing with Yoiko's near constant pestering, she finally spilled the details behind her annoying behavior. We both agree that you need to tone it way down and get back to your old routine of not abandoning her for weeks on end. And I know that your directional curse isn't nearly as bad as you make it out to be. So, please, do me a favor and quit it already?"

Ryoga blinked several times while remaining silent. Then he glanced over to Yoiko who wore a hopeful expression. "Yoiko ... you went behind my back and told Akane how I felt? What's wrong with you? I thought I could trust you to keep my secret. Now look at what you've done! You've shamed me in front of the girl I did all of this for! Now it's all pointless!"

"Hey! I'm not the one who went on a fool's quest every other week!" Yoiko countered. "If you two were really meant to be together, then it wouldn't be so difficult for you to approach her on your own! She's obviously turned off by the sad and pathetic types like you, so give it up! Besides, with you absent most of the time, I wouldn't be surprised if she's gotten herself a real boyfriend already!"

Ryoga blanched. "Is it true, Akane? Please tell me it's not! Nobody loves you more than I do, honest! I'll do whatever you say, just please tell me you don't have a boyfriend!"

Akane sighed inwardly. _'Oh, great. This is the last thing I need ... another stalker. Must think fast. How to deflect his focus elsewhere ...? Shit, Akane, think! Aha! Got it!'_ "What if I do?" she queried.

Ryoga's heart sank ... before quickly recovering and flaring up with jealousy. "Who is he? Tell me! Is it that pigtailed boy from earlier? I'll prove I'm a thousand times better than him, I swear it! Let me at him!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Akane placated, not wanting to make her job as a bodyguard even more difficult. _'Shit, that was a bad idea! I'm screwed if I can't fix this! Damn it, what to do ...?'_

Ryoga quickly stood up from his seat, knocking the tea tray over in his haste, and giving Akane an idea. "As soon as I find him, he's dead!" Ryoga growled.

"Ryoga, don't. There's something you need to know," Akane said, with a feigned sigh of resignation. _'This had better work, for all the embarrassment I'm about to cause myself.'_ "Ryoga, I'm not into men ... like that. You see, I like ... um ... girls," she finished, in a near whisper.

"I don't understand," he replied, confusion causing him to temporarily forget his newly fabricated vendetta against the pigtailed boy.

Yoiko leaned back in her seat, struggling to contain the rolling laughter that threatened to burst from her gut. She was smart enough to guess the reasoning behind Akane's change in tactics and the last thing she wanted to do was ruin this priceless moment with her laughter.

"I'm interested in having _girl_friends, not _boy_friends. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"No, still don't quite follow," Ryoga said.

"Are you dense? Look, I'm a raging lesbian, okay? A real flaming dyke! I like to ride on flying carpets, while munching rugs, and doing various naughty things that include hugging and kissing other girls, etcetera etcetera ... get it?" she snapped.

Ryoga collapsed to his kness, crestfallen. "I ... I see. But why were you running around with that pigtailed boy earlier?"

"He's actually a girl cursed to turn into a boy," she supplied. "A really hot and sexy girl that I can't keep my dirty hands off of and is sure to be waiting for me to come back so I can finish teasing her body in all sorts of nasty-"

"Okay, thats enough!" Ryoga interrupted, turning a unique shade of red. "I get it, you can stop. I guess that means ... we can definitely never be together ..."

"That's exactly right," Akane said. "Don't feel bad, though. It's not your fault that I don't like boys. I'm sure, somewhere out there, there's a girl waiting to jump all over you." _'One just as obsessed as you, probably.'_ "So, don't go getting all depressed for no reason. And, for crying out loud, don't ever abandon your sister again! Now that she's gotten used to it, I wouldn't be surprised if she started blaming me for whatever new and unrelated problems she's sure to encounter. Sadly, as much as I've enjoyed this little family therapy session, I think you both would be better off seeking help from a trained professional ... soon, I hope."

"Hey, I resent that," Yoiko said.

"Did I ask for your opinion? Anyway, I should get going before it get's any more awkward ... I think I'll show myself out. Later," she said, giving a short wave before getting up and leaving the siblings to their own devices.

Akane quickly slammed the door behind her as soon as she was out of the house and released a very audible sigh of relief. _'Whew ... crisis averted.'_ An earth shattering screamed reached her ears before she was forced to dodge the colorful mace that nearly took her head off. _'And, on to the next crisis. Good going, Akane. If this day gets any more exciting, you might actually break your current record.'_


	7. Chapter Seven

_**T**__**he **__**N**__**ame's **__**T**__**endo **__**Akane**__**, And I Don't Lose**_

**Summary:** What if Akane's mother hadn't died? What if Soun took his youngest daughter's interest in the art seriously and trained her to become the best she could be? And what if canon Ranma's wish on the Nanban Mirror accidentally dropped him off in this backwards reality? Well, chaos would ensue, naturally.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma or anything else I may happen to reference. I do own the ideas in my head, though. Those are all mine.

**Chapter Seven**

Tatewaki smiled contentedly as he gazed dreamily upon the large poster of his beloved Akane that hung from the wall opposite his bed. His rampant fantasies about her came to an abrupt pause when a knock upon his door interrupted his train of thought. "Who goes there?" he asked. The door swung open slowly to reveal his loyal vassal, Sasuke, with a tray of tea in hand. "Oh, it is only you. Is it time for tea already?"

Sasuke nodded meekly. "It is past time, master. I have already served your sister."

"Truly, I lose all sense of time when consumed by thoughts of love. Come forth, then. Serve me and be gone with you," Tatewaki replied.

The diminutive ninja complied, setting the tray down long enough to pour a cup and hand it to the Kuno boy. He waited eagerly, as he always did, until he saw that his master had begun drinking from the cup. Then, he nodded respectfully before taking his leave.

As soon as the door behind him was shut, Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration before muttering a few choice curses under his breath. His swearing was cut short when the vibrations of his cell phone caught his attention. He pulled the thing from his pocket and glanced at the display. His eyes widened before he kicked open a trap door with his left foot and dropped into a hidden compartment. He slid the phone open and brought it up to his ear as he walked briskly toward the light at the end of the tunnel. "I am here," he announced in a voice that was not his own.

_"We have a new mission for you ... Konatsu."_

By the time the ninja walked into the light his disguise had been fully shed. Konatsu's deceptively lithe form was covered in a slightly loose-fitting black jumpsuit with the sleeves and pantlegs tucked respectively into gloves and boots. His dark brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail. "I don't understand. I was told that this was to be my final mission until my punishment is over. You mean to tell me that the council has found a sentence worse than this? I have been drugging a family, for the purpose of helping a ceo execute a corporate takeover, and been forced to babysit the kids while they run wild with hallucinations! Unless this is about my rank and status being reinstated, I have no reason to listen to you!"

_"You would be wise to hold your tongue and consider the deal that is about to be offered to you."_

"What deal?" Konatsu asked, his eyes narrowing.

_"In the event you successfully complete this new mission, the council will revoke your punishment and allow you to work your way back up the chain of command by taking on other missions. However, if you should decline to participate, your punishment will be made permanent and you will never again be given the opportunity to regain your status."_

Konatsu growled. "That's not fair." After a moment he came to a decision. "Fine, I accept. What do I need to know?"

_"There is a powerful ancient artifact that our clan once came into posession of for a brief time. It has been lost for several generations. Less than an hour ago, the head of our mystical division detected it's presence and targeted it's location with a satellite. You are the closest asset we have at the moment. The coordinates, along with further details and instructions, will be forwarded to your mobile device shortly. That is all."_

Konastu grimaced as he slid the phone shut and waited for the data to come through. "This had better be legitimate."

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

"What's got you so riled up?" Akane asked, as she sat on Shampoo's back and pinned her down on the sidewalk. "You're way more energetic than usual. A change in diet, maybe?" she quipped.

"Get off, fat pig!" Shampoo spat while flailing her arms and legs. "You the one who need diet!"

"I am _not_ fat, you ... you filthy alley cat bitch!" Akane retorted. "Besides, it's common knowledge that muscle is heavier than fat. You're just jealous of my superior physique. Now, I want to know why you're suddenly trying even harder to make my life hell. Well, come one, out with it."

"You take airen away from Shampoo! For that, you must have too too painful death!" she exclaimed, jerking her body in a renewed effort.

"Uh ... "Akane drawled. "I don't know what an 'airen' is but, I assure you, the only thing I've taken away from you is your dignity. If you want it back, you're gonna have to play nice like a good little kitty cat. Now, in the interest of avoiding any extra annoyances from you, why don't I help you find this airen you've lost so we can both go our seperate ways? Normally, I wouldn't be so kind, but since today seems to be my day to grant favors for my enemies, I might as well. I suggest you take me up on this generous offer before the mood passes."

"Airen is husband ..." Shampoo started. "Ryoga ... is airen. Give him back! He belong to Shampoo!"

Akane blanched. "Ryoga! You've gotta be kidding me," she laughed. "Oh, man, that's rich! If you think there's anything going on between us, then you're totally wrong. I just blew him off like ten minutes ago. Trust me, if he was interested before, then he's definitely not now. As a matter of fact, this might be the perfect time for you to approach him. What I told him would damage any man's ego, so he'll probably be on the rebound soon. You could be exactly what he needs."

"You serious?" Shampoo asked, hopefully.

"Yeah, why not?" Akane replied, with a shrug. "I've always wanted to try my hand at match making. Actually, what do you say we make a deal? I'll formally introduce you to him, and even put in a good word for you, if you agree to dissolve the kiss of death. Can you do that?"

Shampoo nodded her head vigorously.

"Great!" Akane replied, cheerfully, before unpinning the amazon and offering a hand to help the girl to her feet. "Okay, after my end of the bargain is complete, you're on your own. Come on."

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

On the roof of the Saotome residence, the two counterparts were locked in a standing position while holding the mirror between them. Both had blank expressions on their faces, as if in a trance, and the one with the ponytail had glowing white eyes. A shimmering fog had just begun to surround them when, out of nowhere, several senbon sliced through the air and interrupted their critical exchange. Mirai Ranma, having barely sensed the threat from within his trance, shielded his younger self and took five large senbon to his back before falling to his knees. As his hands slipped off of the mirror, his other self came to and grabbed a hold of him before he could fall down completely.

Ranmas eyes widened in shock as he held his future self in his arms and watched foamy drool trail from the edges of his mouth. Just as he registered the senbon protruding from his back, his counterpart spoke in a throaty whisper. "Poison tipped ..." Mirai managed before his eyes rolled back into their sockets.

"Shit," Ranma cursed before having to drop his other self in favor of dodging another salvo of senbon aimed for him. In the process of dodging he noticed the mirror about to roll off of the roof and executed a somersault dive to rescue the artifact. However, as his hand made contact with the mirror so did someone else's booted foot.

"I'll be taking that," the masked ninja said in a low voice before kicking Ranma in the face and reaching down to pick up the mirror.

Ranma rolled with the kick and performed a handspring to flip onto his feet and face off against this new threat. "Not another one ..." Ranma whined. "Wait a sec ... that voice ... Konatsu!"

The ninja flinched upon being recognized but quickly shook it off in favor of pocketing the mirror and throwing down a smoke bomb. He wasted no time in abandoning the scene and decided to worry about the guy who seemed to know his identity later. For now, he was one step closer to regaining what he had lost.

Ranma gasped and coughed while fanning the smoke away from his face with both hands. As the smoke cleared, he caught sight of Mirai dangling halfway off of the edge of the roof and moved over to grab him. To his relief he was still breathing, albeit slow and shallow. Ranma quickly plucked the needles out of his back and threw them away before lifting him onto his shoulders and dropping back down to the ground. As soon as he got into the house, Nodoka gasped at the sight of his bruised face and the unconscious counterpart he carried.

"What on earth happened?" Nodoka asked as she helped Ranma set Mirai down onto a sofa in the living room.

"We were attacked by a ninja," he replied. "He was poisoned."

"Bring me the first aid kit and the cordless phone," Nodoka said, snapping her fingers.

Ranma complied and promptly returned with a small plastic box and the phone, which he handed over to Nodoka. She took the phone and pressed the speed dial before putting it up to her ear and motioning for him to open up the kit. "Darn it, the line is busy," she said biting her lip in frustration.

At that same moment, Genma entered the house and appeared from the hallway with a very agitated looking Ukyo in tow. The newly arrived duo quickly paused mid-stride when they saw the scene before them.

"What's going on?" both Genma and Nodoka said in unison as he eyeballed the passed out Mirai and she Ukyo.

Ranma, having seen that particular look on Ukyo's face only once before, knew exactly why they were here and decided to attempt damage control by providing an answer to everyone's collective question at once. "Uh ... yeah, so there was this ninja and some poisoned senbon. My future self," Ranma said, pointing to Mirai, "got stung with the poison while trying to do some magic trick to fix my screw up and we ended up getting mugged by the sneaky bastard. And now, Ukyo's here to reclaim her lost honor by either killing us or marrying me. So ... here we are. Anyone thirsty? I'm parched."

"I thought you said he didn't remember me and he just came out of a coma! You lied to me again!" Ukyo shouted as she reached behind her back and gripped the hilt of her spatula.

"Calm down! I didn't expect him to react this way either but I did tell you he was out of the ordinary, didn't I?" Genma replied while taking on a defensive stance. "He even has a double from the future, apparently. That's new ..."

"As exciting as all of this is, we still have a poisoned man laying here in need of medical attention," Nodoka said.

"Don't worry ... about me," Mirai said, now conscious and struggling to sit up. "I've been through ... worse."

"Holy _crap_ you woke up fast! What the hell are you made of?" Ranma asked after jumping back a few inches. "Even _I_ don't heal _that_ quickly."

"I'm not healed, trust me," Mirai replied. "I just used my power to isolate the poison ... and dull the effects a bit. Anyway, I don't think its fatal since the only symptoms ... are paralysis and unconsciousness. Right now, I'd be more concerned about recovering that mirror if I were you. It's the only thing that can safely return us to our original reality ... without causing any negative backlash."

"Isn't backlash always considered negative though?" Ranma asked.

"Focus, Ranma!" Mirai said. "We need that mirror!"

"Okay, geez!" Ranma replied. "So much for pointing out a redundant statement ..." he muttered under his breath. He quickly stood up from where he had been kneeling by the sofa and walked straight toward the exit where Genma and Ukyo currently stood. "Come with me," Ranma said, ushering a slightly reluctant and thoroughly confused Ukyo out of the room with him.

"What do you want with me?" Ukyo asked, finally having regained her wits after robotically following Ranma outside the house and onto the top of the wall separating the yard from the sidewalk.

"I'm gonna need your help with this ninja guy. I can already tell he's better than the version from my reality and I'm not exactly in top form. But, if he really is who I think he is, then having you with me will give me an edge."

"Oh ... ok," Ukyo replied, still unsure of herself. Several more seconds passed as they walked atop the perimeter wall of the Saotome residence before she found her voice again. "Are you really from an alternate reality?"

"Yeah," Ranma said, as he inspected a section of the wall surrounding his home. There was a powdery bootprint right beside where his left foot was planted. "Powder from the smoke bomb he threw ... he took off in this direction. I'll explain as we go if you'd like."

"Um ... ok ..." Ukyo nodded.

"Just like old times, eh Ucchan?"

**Well, peoples, sorry for the long update. Life and all, you know. Thanks again for reading and please tell me what you think in your reviews. Bye.**


	8. Chapter Eight

_**T**__**he **__**N**__**ame's **__**T**__**endo **__**Akane**__**, And I Don't Lose**_

**Summary:** What if Akane's mother hadn't died? What if Soun took his youngest daughter's interest in the art seriously and trained her to become the best she could be? And what if canon Ranma's wish on the Nanban Mirror accidentally dropped him off in this backwards reality? Well, chaos would ensue, naturally.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma or anything else I may happen to reference. I do own the ideas in my head, though. Those are all mine.

**Chapter 8**

"Wait! No! You can't leave me like this!" Ryoga called out to Akane as he struggled inside of Shampoo's glomp and she walked away with a satisfied smirk on her face.

Akane gave a sidelong glance back toward the new couple and offered a quick thumbs up before making a hasty exit. Now that _that_ ordeal was over with she wanted to get as far away from the scene as possible so she took to the nearest roof top and began her sprint across town. She darted gracefully across the Nerimian skyline on her way home and was already nearly halfway there when a mid air collision brought her speedy travel to a halt. She and the black clad figure landed in a heap in the middle of a busy street during an evening traffic rush. Akane's quick reaction saved her head from being rolled over by a vehicle that obviously needed to have it's brakes checked out by a mechanic. Her somersault brought her back onto her feet in short order and in time to see what could only be described as a ninja be sent flying twenty feet by the impact of the car she had narrowly dodged.

Konatsu skidded across the pavement and rolled to a halt beside a vehicle that was parallel parked in front of a dry cleaning shop. He groaned as he tried to shake off the mild concussion he knew he had and reached inside his road rashed tunic to make sure the mirror hadn't been damaged. He panicked when he realized it was missing and forcefully sprung onto his feet before visually scanning the area for where he may have dropped the important artifact. Unfortunately, the people who had hit him had parked their car and put on their hazard lights, on causing quite the scene. Several onlookers also had their cell phones out and were most likely calling the cops. Cursing his luck, he threw down another smoke bomb and pulled a vanishing act to save himself from any further attention.

The youngest Tendo stumbled blindy down the sidewalk as she fanned the smoke away from her face with both hands and nearly tripped when her foot got caught on a mirror laying face up on the pavement. She immediately paused to crouch down and pick up the mirror. Her eyes sparkled with interest as her reflection winked at her from within the mirror. Suddenly, she recalled the story about the mirror that Ranma's whole situation supposedly revolved around. Several seconds went by as she considered the possibility. _'Nah, the odds of this being the same mirror are slim to none. It's pretty nice though ... I think I'll keep it,' _ she decided before gripping it firmly and taking off in the direction of her house.

A certain ninja snuck out of the back door of the dry cleaners in a fresh disguise just in time to see Akane leap away with the mirror in her possession. He also saw her drop something by accident before disappearing from view. Konatsu smirked as he picked up the girls wallet and inspected the contents. Her identification card had her address printed on its face in bold. He quickly pulled out his phone and used its gps function to map out the directions. If he played his cards right, he could get in and out of there without risking another conflict or having someone uncover his identity. Operation Discreet Mirror Recovery ... yes, he liked the sound of that. He quietly congratulated himself on coming up with a cool name for his plan before adjusting the hem of his new skirt. The damn things always seemed to ride up whenever he had boxers underneath ...

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Ukyo couldn't help but notice that Ranma was getting slower and sloppier with his roof hopping the longer they went. It had been nearly thirty minutes since they had gone on the hunt for the ninja named Konatsu. Ranma had given her the low down on the guy's background as well as a pretty detailed summary of his life and the events that had brought him to this reality. She had to admit that most of what he said seemed really far fetched and, if not for seeing his future double in person, would have dismissed every word as nonsense. Seeing how badly out of shape he was, she was surprised he had been able to relate his story and not pause to catch his breath while they cruised the roof tops.

Ranma cursed his weak body as his lungs burned for air and his muscles screamed bloody murder at him. He pushed the pain to the back of his mind with a tremendous amount of will power and continued to push his body forward. He was well aware of Ukyo slowing her pace so as not to pass him and mentally sighed. If he was so worn out that Ukyo had to slow down to match him then there was no way he'd be in any shape to fight when and if he finally tracked down Konatsu. As it was, he had lost Konatsu's trail about ten minutes ago but had kept on pushing in hopes of getting lucky and picking it up again. He didn't want to tell Ukyo and risk looking like a quitter either so he had kept on going.

Just as he was beginning to reconsider calling it a night, he botched a landing onto a slanted roof top and rolled his ankle before tumbling over the edge. He quickly reoriented himself in preparation to hit the pavement but was surprised when Ukyo intercepted him and helped him to the ground. She slung his arm over her shoulder and helped him limp back onto the sidewalk in front of a house across the street from the canal. He was about to open his mouth and thank her, but the sudden rush of cold water landing on him caused him to flinch. Ranma-chan looked over her shoulder and saw the old lady standing on her front door step holding an empty bucket and ladle with a surprised look on her face. "We must be close to Akane's house," Ranma surmised with a half lidded glare aimed in the old lady's direction.

Ukyo's eyes popped as she registered what had happened to Ranma. "Y-you're a ... a girl now?"

"Oh ... did I forget to mention I have an ancient Chinese curse? Silly me ..." Ranma trailed off with her best impression of non-chalance. "Cold water turns me into a girl in case you missed it and, yes, they're real. Could you please stop squeezing my chest?"

Ukyo quickly removed her hand and tried to hide an embarrassed blush with it. "Sorry," she replied. "I didn't think things like this could happen in the real world. I guess this means I have no choice but to believe all of the crazy things you've told me so far. Wow ..." she added after a pause. "Is everything ... you know ... down there ..." she said with a wave of her hand in the general direction of Ranma's crotch.

"What the ... do you need a peep show to be satisfied or something? It's none of your business, okay?" Ranma replied defensively.

Ukyo's face got at least three shades redder before she shook her head vigorously and gave Ranma an apologetic bow.

"Anyway, I lost Konatsu's trail so it's best if we just call it a night. I don't know if you've had time to make arrangements for a living space, but you're welcome to crash at my place for a while."

"I haven't, actually," Ukyo replied. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. It's the least I can do for dropping in on this reality and screwing up your chance to get revenge on me and my old man. Sorta ..." she added.

"Oh ... that's okay," Ukyo replied with just a hint of uncertainty remaining in her voice. "I'm kind of glad things turned out this way instead. Now that I'm here, I realize how much I've missed this ... the two of us having an adventure together, I mean. It really takes me back," she said with a deep reminiscent sigh.

"Hey, don't start getting all mushy and nostalgic on me, all right?" Ranma said in a playful tone when she noticed Ukyo's eyes begin to shimmer slightly. "I'm technically not even the person you're remembering," she added.

Ukyo exhaled a half laugh half sigh as she caught herself in a moment and blinked the watery vision out of her eyes. "Thanks," she replied.

"You're right, though," Ranma said. "Those were the good 'ol days ..." After another moment, Ranma continued. "I just realized something. Because of me and my stupid old man, your childhood has been shitty in at least two realities, that I know of, and yet you were willing to let go of your grudge both times. You're a real good person, Ucchan. I'm really glad we got to be friends," Ranma said with the utmost sincerity as she made eye contact with the taller girl who was currently helping her stand with a strained ankle.

Ukyo's eyes shimmered again as she smiled back at the red head. She shifted her giant spatula to the side before ignoring Ranma's protests and hoisting her friend onto her back, piggyback style. "Stop whining, Ranchan. I'm carrying you back and that's final. If you got a problem with it, take it up with me _after_ you can walk properly again."

-o o-o o-o o-o o-

Akane sighed as she plopped down onto her bed before continuing to gaze at the reflections within the mirror. She didn't know why exactly, but she found it increasingly difficult to look away from the mirror for more than a few minutes at a time and it only seemed to be getting worse. She had all but ignored her family upon entering the house and trekked up the stairs to her room without a word. She was aware that her mother was nearly done preparing dinner and would be expecting her to join everyone downstairs very soon but she was so entranced with the mirror by now that she hadn't even blinked in the last two minutes.

After a few more minutes of zoning into the mirror, her mother knocked on her door just as expected and asked that she join everyone for dinner. Akane finally managed to blink and turn her head toward the door before opening her mouth as if to voice a reply. She failed to break the silence and turned to look back into the mirror just as it began to glow. Her eyes grew wide and she was about to shout but was sucked into the mirror before she had the chance.

"What the hell is this place?" Akane asked no one in particular as she took in her surroundings. She stood on an infinitely flat solid white ground with a pitch black sky on the horizon in all directions. She jumped when she felt someone poke her left shoulder from behind. The kick she lashed out with by reflex was easily caught by an identical clone of her and held firmly so she couldn't move. "Who are you?" Akane asked as she struggled against the other girl's grip.

"I am no enemy of yours if that is what you are concerned about," the Akane duplicate replied. "I am merely a spirit in need of protection and I sense that you possess talents which could be of great help to me," she added before releasing her grip on Akane's ankle. "I humbly request your assistance and will grant you a wish if you manage to keep me safe."

Akane squinted her eyes and scrutinized the spirit that wore her visage as she considered the offer. She made sure to keep her guard up and be ready for action just in case things got heated though. "You obviously have abilities of your own if you were able to transport me to wherever this is and copy my appearance," Akane said. "What would someone like you need protection from?"

"There are people ... many people ... who wish to exploit my power for evil purposes and have the means to do so. I do not have the ability to refuse the wishes of those who know how to use my power. However, I do not desire to be used in such a way that causes widespread harm and I intend to use every available option I have to avoid falling into the wrong hands. The ninja you ran into earlier intended to deliver me to an organization that has, in the past, used me for terrible things. Please, I am not above begging for help," the spirit asked, humbling herself in a deep bow.

"Wow, I guess I haven't seen everything weird out there," Akane said. "Well, you certainly seem desperate enough and I can definitely kick anyone's ass if they pose a threat but I get the feeling there's a catch involved with helping you. So, what is it?"

"Very perceptive," the spirit replied. "I like that. I need you to be a temporary vessel for me. It would be a symbiotic relationship with benefits on both sides of course. You would function as my cloak and dagger until I feel satisfied that I am no longer in danger. In addition to granting you a wish at the end of our partnership, I will give you limited access to my power to enhance your abilities as long as we are together. Does this intrigue you?"

Akane shrugged. "Eh ... why not? Might as well do it. This way if anyone ever asks me if I've played host to a magical spirit I can answer with a 'yes I have'. Never hurts to be well rounded, I suppose. Just as a heads up for you, if you turn out to be a demon in disguise, I will so thoroughly disembowel you that there won't even be enough of you left to get stuck in the tread of my shoes."

The spiritual clone of Akane almost cringed upon hearing that but was able to shrug it off and get down to business. "If we have an agreement, then I will proceed with completing our connection and return us to your normal plane of existence."

"All righty, let's do this," Akane said. "I don't want to be late for dinner."

When Akane was returned to her room, she noticed that the time on her clock hadn't changed at all. The mirror she had been holding also seemed to have disappeared. Before she could think further on the situation, the voice of the mirror spoke to her inside of her head and reminded her that she didn't want to draw attention to herself by being late to dinner. So, she quickly gathered herself up and joined everyone downstairs.

Dinner was spectacularly well put together, as usual, and everyone proudly thanked Rumiko for doing a splendid job. The meal was otherwise uneventful. That is, until the bell they hung at the entrance to their compound was rung to alert them of an unannounced visitor. Kasumi, who had already been on her feet to go bring more tea volunteered to answer the door. She reappeared a few minutes later with a cute young woman trailing behind her.

Konatsu resisted the urge to smirk upon seeing the girl who had stolen the object of his interest. He schooled his features to appear meek and non-threatening as he pulled Akane's wallet from behind his back to show it to everyone while Kasumi explained that he was a nice young homeless girl who wanted to return Akane's lost wallet. Akane smiled politely as she accepted his offering and just as he was beginning to think his plan wasn't going to work, the family invited him to stay for dinner.

Before long, everyone had become very chatty with their guest and ate up the sob story that Konatsu was feeding them almost as quickly as they devoured their meals. By the time everyone's plates were empty, they had been so moved by Konatsu's plight that he had been extended an invitation to stay the night or however long it took them to find a suitable women's shelter for him to stay in. All was going according to plan.

When nightfall finally came, Konatsu donned his ninja attire once again before sneaking out of the guest room they had allowed him to stay in. He trekked stealthily up the stairs and towards Akane's room. When he arrived at the door with the yellow duck hanging from it, he carefully rested his ear against its surface and listened in for several minutes. The soft rhythmic breathing he heard assured him that Akane was asleep. Grinning beneath his mask, he ever so gently turned the knob on the door and pushed it open before creeping inside. After softly shutting the door behind him, he proceeded to silently rummage through her belongings in hopes of finding the mirror.

"Need help finding something?" Akane whispered over Konatsu's shoulder.

"Nah, I got this," Konatsu whispered back before mentally slapping his forehead. "Crap ..."

Akane had the cross-dressing ninja pinned before he could even blink. "You know, for a homeless _girl_, you sure have a well muscled chest. You didn't think I would actually fall for that pitiful disguise did you?"

"How in the hell could you have known?" Konatsu asked as he struggled against Akane's tremendous strength. "I'm a master of disguise."

"And I'm a master of reading auras," Akane replied, lying through her teeth. She wasn't going to tell him that it was the mirror who had alerted her to his presence. "It's child's play for me tell the difference between male and female ki. Your deception skills really need work, pal."

"Then, you know why I'm here?" he asked.

"Not a clue," she lied again. "Care to enlighten me?"

"I'd rather not," Konatsu replied as he redoubled his efforts to break Akane's grip.

"Well, you're no fun, are you?" Akane mocked before striking a pressure point on Konatsu's neck to knock him out.

After the ninja went limp, Akane proceeded to carry him downstairs and out into the yard before securely tying him to the tree nearest the koi pond. She yawned after double checking her work and decided it would be safe enough to leave him alone until she interrogated him in the morning.


End file.
